JP6695470B1 - Control device for aerosol inhaler, control method for aerosol inhaler, program, and aerosol inhaler - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a controller or the like for an aerosol inhaler capable of performing calibration at various timings to improve the accuracy of estimation of heater temperature and the accuracy of detection of the remaining amount of an aerosol source. A method for operating a control device, wherein the control device heats an aerosol source and outputs a value relating to an electric resistance value of a load having a correlation between a temperature and an electric resistance value or an electric resistance value, and the correlation. And a control circuit configured to determine the depletion of the aerosol source or the temperature of the load based on the output value of the first sensor, wherein the control circuit outputs the output value of the first sensor at a plurality of timings. (443) and calibrating the correlation (445; 448) based on one of the output values. [Selection diagram] Fig. 4A

Description

  The present disclosure relates to a control device for an aerosol inhaler that generates an aerosol to be inhaled by a user, control of an aerosol inhaler, a program, and an aerosol inhaler. The aerosol inhaler may also be called an aerosol generation device.

  In an aerosol inhaler for generating an aerosol to be inhaled by a user, such as a general electronic cigarette, a heated cigarette, and a nebulizer, an aerosol source that becomes an aerosol by being atomized (hereinafter referred to as an aerosol-forming substrate). If the user inhales when there is a shortage, the aerosol cannot be sufficiently supplied to the user. In addition, in the case of electronic cigarettes and heated cigarettes, there may be a problem that an aerosol having an intended flavor and taste cannot be produced.

  As a solution to this problem, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for determining a decrease in a liquid aerosol forming substrate heated by a heater, based on the relationship between the temperature of the heating element and the electric power applied to the heating element. (See summary etc.) Patent Document 2 discloses a technique of monitoring the operation of an electric heater and estimating the amount of the liquid aerosol forming substrate remaining in the liquid storage unit based on the monitored operation (see the abstract etc.). .. Patent Document 3 discloses a technique for obtaining a liquid level in a liquid storage portion based on a measured temperature value of a heater (see abstract and the like).

  However, where the physical properties of the heater may fluctuate, Patent Documents 1 to 3 do not disclose or suggest the calibration regarding the derivation of the heater temperature to deal with such a point.

  Further, the aerosol-forming substrate may be temporarily emptied due to the supply rate of the aerosol source, and Patent Documents 1 to 3 also disclose a plurality of different determination conditions for coping with such a point. I haven't.

International Publication No. 2012/085203 International Publication No. 2012/085207 International Publication No. 2017/144191

The present disclosure has been made in view of the above points.
The first problem to be solved by the present disclosure is an aerosol that can accurately estimate the heater temperature and accurately detect the remaining amount of the aerosol source even when the physical properties of the heater fluctuate, for example, when deterioration occurs. It is to provide a control device and the like for the suction device.

  A second problem to be solved by the present disclosure is to provide a control device for an aerosol inhaler or the like that can perform calibration at various timings to improve the accuracy of estimating the heater temperature and the accuracy of detecting the remaining amount of the aerosol source. It is to be.

  A third problem to be solved by the present disclosure is to provide a control device for an aerosol inhaler or the like, which has improved detection accuracy of the remaining amount of the aerosol source.

  According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in order to solve the above-described first problem, a value related to an electric resistance value of a load or a value related to the electric resistance value of a load that heats an aerosol source and has a correlation between the temperature and the electric resistance value is output. 1 sensor, a second sensor that outputs an aerosol generation request, and a first value that is the output value of the first sensor after detection of the generation request and before supply of the amount of electric power capable of generating aerosol to the load And a control circuit configured to determine a depletion of the aerosol source or a temperature of the load based on a second value that is an output value of the first sensor when the load can generate aerosol. A controller for an aerosol inhaler is provided.

  In one embodiment, the control circuit is configured to calibrate the correlation based on the first value and determine a depletion of the aerosol source or a temperature of the load based on the calibrated correlation and the second value. can do.

  According to this configuration, the heater temperature is estimated based on the heater resistance value obtained immediately after the puff is detected and during the generation of the aerosol, so that the heater temperature can be accurately estimated even if the heater is deteriorated.

  In an embodiment, the control circuit may be configured to calibrate the correlation based on the first value when the first value is obtained when the temperature of the load can be regarded as a reference temperature. ..

  With this configuration, since the reference resistance value is acquired only when the heater temperature can be considered to be at the reference temperature, for example, room temperature, the accuracy of temperature estimation is deteriorated due to the difference between the heater temperature and the reference temperature when the reference resistance value is acquired. Can be suppressed.

  In one embodiment, the reference temperature is based on a temperature of an environment where the aerosol inhaler is assumed to be used, and the aerosol inhaler controller according to one embodiment includes a third sensor that outputs a temperature of a power source. The control circuit can be configured to determine whether or not the load can be considered to be at a reference temperature based on the output value of the third sensor.

  With this configuration, it is possible to obtain a more accurate reference resistance value in order to determine whether or not the heater temperature has reached a reference temperature, for example, a temperature that can be considered to be room temperature, by using the battery temperature.

  In one embodiment, the reference temperature is an elapsed time until the generation request is detected by the control circuit based on a temperature of an environment in which the aerosol inhaler is assumed to be used, and the previous generation request is generated. Is detected, or the correlation is calibrated based on the elapsed time from the end of the previous supply of the electric energy for enabling the load to generate aerosol. can do.

  According to such a configuration, it is possible to determine whether or not the heater temperature has reached a reference temperature, for example, a temperature that can be considered to be room temperature, based on the elapsed time from the previous aerosol generation. It can be judged whether or not it can be regarded as being at temperature.

  In one embodiment, the control circuit calibrates the correlation only if the elapsed time is greater than or equal to the time required to cool the load from a temperature at which aerosol can be generated to a temperature that can be considered to be at the reference temperature. Can be configured as follows.

  According to this configuration, the heater can be regarded as being at the reference temperature in order to determine whether or not the heater temperature has reached a temperature that can be regarded as being at the reference temperature, for example, room temperature, by comparing the elapsed time and the cooling time. The accuracy of such judgment can be improved.

  In one embodiment, the elapsed time is a predetermined time that is equal to or longer than a time required to cool the load from a temperature at which aerosol can be generated to a temperature that can be regarded as being at the reference temperature, and when the aerosol source is exhausted. The control circuit may be configured to calibrate the correlation only if at least the predetermined time period less than the time required to cool the load from a temperature that can only be reached to a temperature that can be considered to be at the reference temperature. it can.

According to such a configuration, the threshold value to be compared with the elapsed time does not become an extremely long value, so that a sufficient opportunity for calibration can be secured.
In one embodiment, the temperature that can be considered to be the reference temperature may be equal to or higher than the reference temperature and equal to or lower than the reference temperature + 15 ° C.

In one embodiment, the control circuit may be configured to calibrate the correlation only if the elapsed time is 10 seconds or more.
According to this configuration, since the reference resistance value is acquired only when the heater temperature can be regarded as being at the reference temperature, for example, room temperature, the accuracy of temperature estimation is deteriorated due to the difference between the heater temperature and the reference temperature when the reference resistance value is acquired. Can be suppressed.

  A control device for an aerosol inhaler, which is an embodiment, is connected in series between the load and a power supply, is connected in parallel to a first circuit including a first switch, and is connected in parallel to the first circuit. A second circuit having a higher electric resistance value than the first circuit, the control circuit being capable of controlling the first switch and the second switch, and the first switch. And the second switch may be configured to acquire the first value and the second value while only the second switch is in the ON state.

  According to this configuration, since the resistance measuring device has a dedicated circuit for measuring the resistance value, the resistance measuring system is improved by the known resistance, and the known resistance does not hinder the generation of the aerosol. Use efficiency is improved.

  In order to solve the first problem described above, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of operating a control device for an aerosol inhaler, wherein the control device heats an aerosol source and has a temperature and an electrical resistance value. It includes a first sensor that outputs a value related to the electric resistance value of a load having a correlation or an electric resistance value, a second sensor that outputs a request for generation of aerosol, and a control circuit, and the control circuit detects the generation request. Obtaining a first value, which is an output value of the first sensor after and before supply of the amount of electric power capable of generating aerosol to the load, and a step of the first sensor when the load is capable of generating aerosol. A method is provided, comprising: obtaining a second value, which is an output value, and determining a depletion of the aerosol source or a temperature of the load based on the first value and the second value.

  According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, in order to solve the above-described first problem, a value related to an electric resistance value of a load or a value related to the electric resistance value of a load that heats an aerosol source and has a correlation between the temperature and the electric resistance value is output. And a control circuit configured to calibrate the correlation based on the output value of the first sensor acquired upon detection of the generation request. A controller for an aerosol inhaler is provided.

  In order to solve the first problem described above, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of operating a control device for an aerosol inhaler, wherein the control device heats an aerosol source and has a temperature and an electrical resistance value. It includes a first sensor that outputs a value related to the electric resistance value of a load having a correlation or an electric resistance value, a second sensor that outputs a request for generation of aerosol, and a control circuit, and the control circuit detects the generation request. And a step of calibrating the correlation based on the output value of the first sensor are provided.

In order to solve the first problem described above, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a program that causes a processor to execute the above method is provided.
According to this configuration, the heater temperature is estimated based on the heater resistance value obtained immediately after the puff detection and during the aerosol generation, so that the heater temperature can be accurately estimated even if the heater is deteriorated.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned second problem, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, a value related to the electric resistance value of a load or a value related to the electric resistance value of a load in which the aerosol source is heated and the temperature and the electric resistance value have a correlation is output. 1 sensor and a control circuit configured to determine the exhaustion of the aerosol source or the temperature of the load based on the correlation and the output value of the sensor, the control circuit including the first circuit at a plurality of timings. Provided is a controller for an aerosol inhaler, which is capable of acquiring an output value of a sensor and is configured to be able to calibrate the correlation based on the output value of the first sensor acquired at any of the plurality of timings. ..

According to this configuration, since there are a plurality of calibration timings, the accuracy of the remaining liquid amount estimation and the temperature estimation using the PTC characteristics is improved.
In one embodiment, the control circuit is configured to be able to detect the exchange of the load, and the plurality of timings may include the time of the exchange or immediately after the exchange.

According to such a configuration, since the timing for acquiring the value for calibration includes the time when the cartridge is replaced, it is possible to reduce the influence of the product tolerance of the PTC characteristic on the residual liquid amount estimation and the temperature estimation.
An aerosol inhaler control device according to one embodiment includes a second sensor that outputs a voltage or resistance value between terminals to which the load is electrically connected, and the control circuit includes an output value of the second sensor. It may be configured to detect the replacement of the load based on.

According to such a configuration, since the replacement of the cartridge is detected based on the voltage of the connector, the replacement of the cartridge can be detected by a simpler method.
The control device for an aerosol inhaler which is one embodiment includes a third sensor that outputs a request for generation of aerosol, and the plurality of timings are applied to the load having a power amount capable of generating aerosol after detection of the request for generation. Can be included before the supply of the.

According to such a configuration, since the acquisition timing of the value for calibration includes the time when the aerosol generation is requested, the accuracy of the remaining liquid amount estimation and the temperature estimation can be secured even if the heater deteriorates.
In one embodiment, the control circuit may be configured to calibrate the correlation based on an output value of the first sensor acquired at any one of the plurality of timings.

According to such a configuration, in order to obtain the value for calibration at any timing, it is possible to obtain the value for calibration at an appropriate timing according to the situation of the aerosol inhaler.
The control device for an aerosol inhaler, which is an embodiment, includes a third sensor that outputs a request to generate an aerosol, the control circuit is configured to be able to detect the exchange of the load, and the plurality of timings are the exchanges. And a second timing that is after or immediately after the generation request and before supply of the amount of electric power capable of generating aerosol to the load.

  According to such a configuration, since the timing of acquiring the value for calibration includes the time of cartridge replacement and the time of aerosol generation request, it is possible to reduce the influence of the product tolerance of the PTC characteristics on the residual liquid amount estimation and the temperature estimation, and Even if the heater deteriorates, the accuracy of the remaining liquid amount estimation and the temperature estimation can be ensured.

  In one embodiment, when the temperature of the load can be regarded as a reference temperature at the second timing, the control circuit acquires the output value of the first sensor and calibrates the correlation based on the output value. Can be configured as follows.

  According to this configuration, in order to obtain the reference resistance value when the heater temperature can be regarded as the reference temperature when the aerosol generation is requested, for example, room temperature, the temperature estimation is performed by the deviation between the heater temperature and the reference temperature when the reference resistance value is obtained. It is possible to suppress deterioration in accuracy.

  In one embodiment, when the temperature of the load cannot be considered to be a reference temperature at the second timing, the control circuit calibrates the correlation based on the output value of the first sensor acquired at the first timing. Can be configured.

  According to this configuration, if the heater temperature cannot be regarded as the reference temperature, for example, room temperature when the aerosol generation is requested, the reference resistance value acquired when the cartridge is replaced is used. The influence of the product tolerance can be reduced without being affected by the deviation.

  In one embodiment, the control circuit is an elapsed time until the generation request is detected, and detection of the previous generation request ends, or electric power for enabling the load to generate aerosol. It can be configured to determine whether the load can be considered to be at the reference temperature at the second timing, based on the elapsed time from the end of the previous supply of the amount.

  According to such a configuration, the heater temperature can be determined by a simpler method to determine whether or not the heater temperature has reached a reference temperature, for example, a temperature that can be considered to be room temperature, based on the elapsed time from the previous aerosol generation. It can be judged whether or not it can be regarded as being at the reference temperature.

  In one embodiment, only when the elapsed time is longer than or equal to a time required to cool the load from a temperature at which aerosol can be generated to a temperature at which it can be considered that the aerosol is at a reference temperature, the control circuit is configured to perform the operation at the second timing. It can be configured to determine that the load can be considered to be at a reference temperature.

  With this configuration, the heater temperature can be regarded as the reference temperature in order to determine whether or not the heater temperature has reached the reference temperature, for example, the temperature that can be regarded as the room temperature, by comparing the elapsed time and the cooling time. The accuracy of the decision as to whether or not to improve can be improved.

  In one embodiment, the elapsed time is a predetermined time that is equal to or longer than a time required to cool the load from a temperature at which aerosol can be generated to a temperature that can be regarded as being at a reference temperature, and the storage portion or the base material. In the case of the predetermined time or more shorter than the time required to cool the load from a temperature that can be reached only when the aerosol source is exhausted to a temperature that can be considered to be at a reference temperature in In, it is possible to determine that the load can be regarded as being at the reference temperature.

With such a configuration, the threshold value to be compared with the elapsed time does not have an extremely large value, so that a sufficient opportunity for calibration can be secured.
In one embodiment, the control circuit may be configured to determine that the load can be considered to be at the reference temperature at the second timing only when the elapsed time is 10 seconds or more.

  According to this configuration, in order to obtain the reference resistance value when the heater temperature can be regarded as the reference temperature when the aerosol generation is requested, for example, room temperature, the temperature estimation is performed by the deviation between the heater temperature and the reference temperature when the reference resistance value is obtained. It is possible to suppress deterioration in accuracy.

  In one embodiment, when the load cannot be considered to be at the reference temperature at the second timing, the control circuit does not calibrate the correlation or outputs the output of the first sensor used during the previous calibration of the correlation. It can be configured to calibrate the correlation based on a value.

  In one embodiment, when the load cannot be considered to be at the reference temperature at the second timing, the control circuit calibrates the correlation based on the output value of the first sensor at the second timing before the previous time. Can be configured.

  According to this configuration, if the heater temperature cannot be considered to be the reference temperature, for example, room temperature when the aerosol generation is requested, the value used last time is used, and therefore, even if the latest reference resistance value cannot be obtained, the heater is deteriorated. Correlation with reduced influence can be obtained.

  A control device for an aerosol inhaler, which is an embodiment, is connected in series between the load and a power supply, is connected in parallel to a first circuit including a first switch, and is connected in parallel to the first circuit. A second circuit having a higher electric resistance value than the first circuit, the control circuit being capable of controlling the first switch and the second switch, and the first switch. And the correlation may be calibrated based on the output value of the first sensor acquired while only the second switch of the second switches is in the ON state.

  According to this configuration, since the resistance measuring device has a dedicated circuit for measuring the resistance value, the resistance measuring system is improved by the known resistance, and the known resistance does not hinder the generation of the aerosol. Use efficiency is improved.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned second problem, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of operating a control device for an aerosol inhaler, wherein the control device heats an aerosol source and has a temperature and an electric resistance value. A first sensor for outputting a value relating to the electrical resistance value of a load having a correlation or an electrical resistance value, and configured to determine the depletion of the aerosol source or the temperature of the load based on the correlation and the output value of the sensor A control circuit, the control circuit acquiring the output value of the first sensor at a plurality of timings, and calibrating the correlation based on one of the output values. Provided.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned second problem, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, a value related to the electric resistance value of a load or a value related to the electric resistance value of a load in which the aerosol source is heated and the temperature and the electric resistance value have a correlation is output. 1 sensor, and a control circuit configured to determine the temperature of the load or exhaustion or shortage of the aerosol source based on the correlation and the output value of the first sensor, the control circuit, There is provided a control device for an aerosol inhaler configured to be able to perform a calibration capable of reducing an error due to a product tolerance and a calibration capable of reducing an error due to a change with time of the correlation.

According to this configuration, since there are a plurality of calibration timings, the accuracy of the remaining liquid amount estimation and the temperature estimation using the PTC characteristics is improved.
In one embodiment, the control circuit is configured to detect replacement of the load, and a calibration capable of reducing an error due to a product tolerance of the correlation includes a calibration of the first sensor acquired at or immediately after the replacement. It can be executed based on the output value.

According to such a configuration, since the timing for acquiring the value for calibration includes the time when the cartridge is replaced, it is possible to reduce the influence of the product tolerance of the PTC characteristic on the residual liquid amount estimation and the temperature estimation.
The control device for the aerosol inhaler which is one embodiment includes a third sensor that outputs a request for generation of aerosol, and the calibration capable of reducing the error due to the change with time of the correlation is performed after detecting the request for generation and generating the aerosol. It can be performed based on the output value of the first sensor acquired before the supply of the possible electric energy to the load.

According to such a configuration, since the acquisition timing of the value for calibration includes the time when the aerosol generation is requested, the accuracy of the remaining liquid amount estimation and the temperature estimation can be secured even if the heater deteriorates.
In order to solve the above-mentioned second problem, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of operating a control device for an aerosol inhaler, wherein the control device heats an aerosol source and has a temperature and an electric resistance value. A value relating to the electric resistance value of the load having a correlation or a first sensor that outputs the electric resistance value, and the exhaustion or shortage of the aerosol source or the temperature of the load is determined based on the correlation and the output value of the first sensor. And a calibration circuit capable of reducing at least one of a product tolerance error of the correlation and an error of the correlation over time. It

In order to solve the second problem described above, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a program that causes a processor to execute the above method is provided.
According to this configuration, since there are a plurality of calibration timings, the accuracy of the remaining liquid amount estimation and the temperature estimation using the PTC characteristics is improved.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned third problem, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, a value related to the temperature of a load that heats the aerosol source or a sensor that outputs a temperature, and based on the output value of the sensor, the aerosol source A control circuit configured to determine depletion, the control circuit comprising a first process of comparing an output value of the sensor with a first threshold to determine depletion of the aerosol source; A second process of comparing an output value with a second threshold different from the first threshold is configured to be executable, and the frequency of performing the first process and the frequency of performing the second process are different, and There is provided a control device for an aerosol inhaler, characterized in that one or both of a phase of executing the first process and a phase of executing the second process are different.

According to this configuration, since the liquid depletion is detected with two temperature thresholds, the detection accuracy is improved as compared with the case where one temperature threshold is used.
In one embodiment, a frequency of executing the first process and a frequency of executing the second process are different, and a phase of executing the first process and a phase of executing the second process may be different.

According to such a configuration, since the scenes using the two temperature thresholds are different, the detection accuracy is further improved.
In one embodiment, the first threshold value is higher than the second threshold value, and the control circuit can be configured to execute the first process more frequently than the second process.

According to such a configuration, since the determination using the higher temperature threshold value is performed more frequently, it is possible to quickly detect the state in which the liquid depletion is strongly suspected.
In one embodiment, the first threshold value is higher than the second threshold value, and the control circuit can be configured to execute the first process in a phase earlier than the second process.

According to such a configuration, since the determination using the higher temperature threshold value is executed earlier, it is possible to quickly detect the state where the liquid depletion is strongly suspected.
In an embodiment, the first threshold value is higher than the second threshold value, and the control circuit performs only the first process of the first process and the second process in a heating phase of the aerosol source. Can be configured.

According to this configuration, since the determination using the high temperature threshold value is executed during the generation of the aerosol, it is possible to quickly detect the state in which the liquid depletion is strongly suspected.
In an embodiment, the first threshold value is higher than the second threshold value, and the control circuit executes only the second processing of the first processing and the second processing after the heating phase of the aerosol source. Can be configured as follows.

  According to such a configuration, since determination using a low temperature threshold value is executed after aerosol generation, aerosol generation does not stop in a state where it is not possible to determine whether the liquid is depleted or the wick is temporarily dried, and the user does not stop. The convenience of is improved.

  In one embodiment, the control circuit determines whether the output value of the sensor is greater than or equal to the first threshold value in the first process, and determines the output value of the sensor in the second process by the second threshold value. It is determined whether or not, and when the positive determination in the first process is N (N is a natural number of 1 or more) times, it is determined that the aerosol source is exhausted, and the positive result in the second process is determined. The determination can be made such that the exhaustion of the aerosol source is determined when the physical determination is performed M times different from N (M is a natural number of 1 or more).

According to this configuration, since the liquid depletion is detected with two temperature thresholds, the detection accuracy is improved as compared with the case where one temperature threshold is used.
In one embodiment, N can be less than M.

According to this configuration, it is necessary to determine that more liquid depletion is suspected for a low temperature threshold value in order to determine liquid depletion, and thus it is possible to reduce false detection of liquid depletion.
In one embodiment, N can be 1.

  According to such a configuration, if it is determined that the liquid depletion is suspected even once even with respect to the high temperature threshold, it can be determined that the liquid is depleted, and thus the state in which the liquid depletion is strongly suspected can be promptly detected. ..

  In one embodiment, the first threshold value is higher than the second threshold value, and in the heating phase of the aerosol source, when the output value of the sensor is determined to be the first threshold value or more in the first process, the control circuit Can be configured to stop the power supply immediately and prohibit the power supply to the load until a first condition, which is not satisfied over time, is satisfied.

According to such a configuration, the power supply can be immediately stopped and prohibited by the determination using the high temperature threshold, so that the heater can be prevented from overheating.
In one embodiment, the first threshold value is higher than the second threshold value, and when the output value of the sensor is determined to be less than the first threshold value and greater than or equal to the second threshold value during the heating phase of the aerosol source, the control is performed. The circuit can be configured to continue said power supply.

  According to such a configuration, even if it is determined that liquid depletion is suspected for a low temperature threshold, power supply is not stopped immediately, so it is not possible to determine whether the liquid is depleted or the wick is temporarily dried. In the state, aerosol generation does not stop, and user convenience is improved.

  In one embodiment, the first threshold is higher than the second threshold, and when the output value of the sensor is determined to be equal to or higher than the second threshold in the second processing, the control circuit feeds power to the load. Can be configured to be prohibited until a second condition that is satisfied over time is met.

  According to such a configuration, when it is determined that the liquid depletion is suspected for the low temperature threshold value, the energization is temporarily prohibited, so that it is possible to deal with the case where the wick is temporarily dried. it can.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned third problem, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for operating a control device for an aerosol inhaler, wherein the control device is a value or a temperature related to a temperature of a load for heating an aerosol source. And a control circuit configured to determine exhaustion of the aerosol source based on an output value of the sensor, the method including the control circuit determining the exhaustion of the aerosol source. A step of performing a first process of comparing the output value of the sensor with a first threshold value, and a step of performing a second process of comparing the output value of the sensor with a second threshold value different from the first threshold value. One or both of that the frequency of executing the first process is different from the frequency of executing the second process, and the phase of executing the first process is different from the phase of executing the second process. Is provided.

According to such a configuration, since the liquid depletion is detected with two temperature thresholds, the detection accuracy is improved as compared with the case where one temperature threshold is used.
In order to solve the above-mentioned third problem, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a sensor that outputs a value related to the temperature of a load that heats an aerosol source or a temperature and a power supply to the load are configured to be controlled. A control circuit, the control circuit prohibits the power supply until a first condition, which is not satisfied over time, is satisfied when the output value of the sensor in the heating phase of the aerosol source is equal to or more than a first threshold value. However, when the output value of the sensor in the heating phase of the aerosol source is less than the first threshold value and equal to or more than the second threshold value less than the first threshold value, the power supply is satisfied with the second condition satisfied over time. A control device for an aerosol inhaler is provided that is configured to inhibit up to.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned third problem, according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, there is provided a method for operating a control device for an aerosol inhaler, wherein the control device is a value or a temperature related to a temperature of a load for heating an aerosol source. And a control circuit configured to control the power supply to the load, wherein the control circuit, when the output value of the sensor in the heating phase of the aerosol source is a first threshold value or more, Prohibiting power supply until a first condition, which is not satisfied over time, is satisfied; and a second threshold value in which the output value of the sensor in the heating phase of the aerosol source is less than the first threshold value and less than the first threshold value. In the above case, the power supply is prohibited until a second condition that is satisfied over time is satisfied.

According to this configuration, since the power supply is prohibited under different conditions using the two temperature thresholds, it is possible to more appropriately prevent the heater from overheating.
In order to solve the third problem described above, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a program that causes a processor to execute the above method is provided.

  According to such a configuration, since the liquid depletion is detected with two temperature thresholds, the detection accuracy is improved as compared with the case where one temperature threshold is used. Further, according to such a configuration, since the power supply is prohibited under different conditions by using the two temperature thresholds, it is possible to more appropriately prevent the heater from overheating.

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of an aerosol inhaler configuration, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of an aerosol inhaler configuration, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary circuit configuration for a portion of an aerosol inhaler, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. It is a figure which shows the temperature profile of the load of an aerosol inhaler roughly, and the figure which shows the temperature change of the load per predetermined time or predetermined electric energy. 4 is a flow chart of an exemplary main process for measuring load temperature and determining aerosol source depletion or depletion. 4 is a flow chart of an exemplary main process for measuring load temperature and determining aerosol source depletion or depletion. 9 is a portion of another example main process flow chart for measuring load temperature and determining aerosol source depletion or depletion. It is a flow chart of the example processing which assists main processing. It is a graph showing the time change of the temperature of the load after stopping the heating for the load.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that embodiments of the present disclosure include, but are not limited to, electronic cigarettes, heated cigarettes and nebulizers. Embodiments of the present disclosure may include various aerosol inhalers for producing an aerosol that a user inhales.

1 Outline of Aerosol Inhaler FIG. 1A is a schematic block diagram of a configuration of an aerosol inhaler 100A according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 1A schematically and conceptually shows each component provided in the aerosol inhaler 100A, and does not show the strict arrangement, shape, size, positional relationship, etc. of each component and the aerosol inhaler 100A. Please note.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, the aerosol inhaler 100A includes a first member 102 (hereinafter referred to as “main body 102”) and a second member 104A (hereinafter referred to as “cartridge 104A”). As illustrated, as an example, the main body 102 may include a control unit 106, a notification unit 108, a power supply 110, a sensor 112, and a memory 114. The aerosol inhaler 100A may have sensors such as a flow rate sensor, a flow rate sensor, a pressure sensor, a voltage sensor, a current sensor, and a temperature sensor, and in the present disclosure, these are collectively referred to as a “sensor 112”. The body 102 may also include circuitry 134 described below. As an example, the cartridge 104A may include the storage unit 116A, the atomizing unit 118A, the air intake flow path 120, the aerosol flow path 121, the suction port 122, the holding unit 130, and the load 132. Some of the components contained within body 102 may be contained within cartridge 104A. Some of the components contained within cartridge 104A may be contained within body 102. The cartridge 104A may be configured to be removable from the main body 102. Alternatively, all the components included in the main body 102 and the cartridge 104A may be included in the same housing instead of the main body 102 and the cartridge 104A.

  The reservoir 116A may be configured as a tank that stores an aerosol source. In this case, the aerosol source is, for example, a polyhydric alcohol such as glycerin or propylene glycol, a liquid such as water, or a mixed liquid thereof. When the aerosol inhaler 100A is an electronic cigarette, the aerosol source in the storage section 116A may include a component that releases a flavor component by heating. The holder 130 holds the aerosol source supplied by the reservoir 116A at a position where the load 132 can heat it. For example, the holding unit 130 is made of a fibrous or porous material, and holds the aerosol source as a liquid in the spaces between the fibers or the pores of the porous material. As the fibrous or porous material described above, for example, cotton, glass fiber, ceramic, or tobacco raw material can be used. If the aerosol inhaler 100A is a medical inhaler, such as a nebulizer, the aerosol source may also include medication for inhalation by the patient. As another example, the reservoir 116A may have a configuration that can replenish the consumed aerosol source. Alternatively, the reservoir 116A may be configured to allow replacement of the reservoir 116A itself when the aerosol source is consumed. Moreover, the aerosol source is not limited to a liquid, and may be a solid. The reservoir 116A when the aerosol source is a solid may be a hollow container.

  The atomization unit 118A is configured to atomize an aerosol source to generate an aerosol. When the sensor 112 detects a suction operation or another operation by the user, the atomizing unit 118A generates an aerosol. For example, the holding unit 130 is provided so as to connect the storage unit 116A and the atomization unit 118A. In this case, a part of the holder 130 communicates with the inside of the reservoir 116A and comes into contact with the aerosol source. The other part of the holding part 130 extends to the atomizing part 118A. Note that the other part of the holding portion 130 extending to the atomizing portion 118A may be housed in the atomizing portion 118A, or may pass through the atomizing portion 118A and reach the inside of the storage portion 116A again. .. The aerosol source is carried from the reservoir 116A to the atomizer 118A by the capillary effect of the holder 130. As an example, the atomization unit 118A includes a heater including a load 132 electrically connected to the power supply 110. The heater is arranged so as to be in contact with or close to the holding unit 130. When the suction operation or another operation by the user is detected, the control unit 106 controls the power supply to the heater of the atomizing unit 118A, and heats the aerosol source carried through the holding unit 130 to thereby cause the aerosol source. To atomize. An air intake passage 120 is connected to the atomizing unit 118A, and the air intake passage 120 communicates with the outside of the aerosol inhaler 100A. The aerosol generated in the atomization unit 118A is mixed with the air taken in via the air intake passage 120. The mixed fluid of aerosol and air is delivered to the aerosol channel 121, as indicated by arrow 124. The aerosol flow channel 121 has a tubular structure for transporting the mixed fluid of the aerosol and air generated in the atomization unit 118A to the suction port 122.

  The suction port 122 is located at the end of the aerosol flow channel 121 and is configured to open the aerosol flow channel 121 to the outside of the aerosol inhaler 100A. The user sucks the air containing the aerosol into the oral cavity by holding the suction port 122 and sucking it.

  The notification unit 108 may include a light emitting element such as an LED, a display, a speaker, a vibrator, and the like. The notification unit 108 is configured to notify the user by light emission, display, utterance, vibration, or the like as necessary.

  The cartridge 104A can be configured as an outer tube, and one or both of the air intake channel 120 and the aerosol channel 121 can be configured as an inner tube disposed inside the outer tube. Further, the load 132 can be arranged in the air intake passage 120 or the aerosol passage 121, which is an inner pipe. The storage section 116A can be arranged or formed between the cartridge 104A which is an outer tube and the air intake channel 120 or the aerosol channel 121 which is an inner tube.

  The power supply 110 supplies electric power to each component of the aerosol inhaler 100A such as the notification unit 108, the sensor 112, the memory 114, the load 132, and the circuit 134. The power supply 110 may be a primary battery or a secondary battery that can be charged by connecting to an external power supply via a predetermined port (not shown) of the aerosol inhaler 100A. Only the power supply 110 may be removable from the body 102 or the aerosol inhaler 100A, or may be replaced with a new power supply 110. It may also be possible to replace the power supply 110 with a new power supply 110 by replacing the entire body 102 with a new body 102. As an example, the power supply 110 may include a lithium ion secondary battery, a nickel hydrogen secondary battery, a lithium ion capacitor, or the like. The power supply 110, which is a secondary battery, may include a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the battery.

  The sensor 112 includes a value of a voltage applied to the whole or a specific portion of the circuit 134, a value of a current flowing through the whole or a specific portion of the circuit 134, a value related to a resistance value of the load 132 or a value related to temperature, and the like. May be included to obtain one or more sensors. The sensor 112 may be incorporated in the circuit 134. The function of the sensor 112 may be incorporated in the control unit 106. The sensor 112 also includes at least one of a pressure sensor that detects a change in pressure in one or both of the air intake passage 120 and the aerosol passage 121, a flow velocity sensor that detects a flow velocity, and a flow sensor that detects a flow amount. May be included. Sensor 112 may also include a weight sensor that senses the weight of components such as reservoir 116A. The sensor 112 may also be configured to count the number of puffs by a user using the aerosol inhaler 100A. The sensor 112 may also be configured to integrate the energization time to the atomization unit 118A. The sensor 112 may also be configured to detect the height of the liquid surface in the reservoir 116A. The sensor 112 may also be configured to determine or detect the SOC (State of Charge, state of charge), integrated current value, voltage, etc. of the power supply 110. The SOC may be determined by a current integration method (Coulomb counting method), SOC-OCV (Open Circuit Voltage, open circuit voltage) method, or the like. The sensor 112 may also include the temperature sensor in the power supply 110 described above. The sensor 112 may also be able to detect an operation on an operation button or the like that can be operated by the user.

  The control unit 106 may be an electronic circuit module configured as a microprocessor or a microcomputer. The controller 106 may be configured to control the operation of the aerosol inhaler 100A according to computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 114. The memory 114 is a storage medium such as a ROM, a RAM, or a flash memory. In addition to the computer-executable instructions as described above, the memory 114 may store setting data and the like necessary for controlling the aerosol inhaler 100A. For example, the memory 114 has various control methods of the notification unit 108 (e.g., modes such as light emission, utterance, vibration, etc.), values acquired and / or detected by the sensor 112, heating history of the atomizing unit 118A, and the like. Data may be stored. The control unit 106 reads out data from the memory 114 as needed and uses it for controlling the aerosol inhaler 100A, and stores the data in the memory 114 as necessary.

FIG. 1B is a schematic block diagram of a configuration of an aerosol inhaler 100B according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
As shown, aerosol inhaler 100B has a configuration similar to aerosol inhaler 100A of FIG. 1A. However, the configuration of the second member 104B (hereinafter referred to as "aerosol generating article 104B" or "stick 104B") is different from the configuration of the second member 104A. As an example, the aerosol-generating article 104B may include an aerosol base material 116B, an atomizing part 118B, an air intake flow path 120, an aerosol flow path 121, and a suction part 122. Some of the components contained within body 102 may be contained within aerosol-generating article 104B. Some of the components contained within the aerosol-generating article 104B may be contained within the body 102. The aerosol-generating article 104B may be configured to be insertable into and removable from the main body 102. Alternatively, all components contained within body 102 and aerosol-generating article 104B may be contained within the same housing in place of body 102 and aerosol-generating article 104B.

  Aerosol substrate 116B may be configured as a solid carrying an aerosol source. As in the case of the storage unit 116A in FIG. 1A, the aerosol source may be, for example, a polyhydric alcohol such as glycerin or propylene glycol, a liquid such as water, or a mixed liquid thereof. The aerosol source in the aerosol base material 116B may include a tobacco raw material that releases a flavor component by heating and an extract derived from the tobacco raw material. The aerosol base material 116B itself may be made of a tobacco raw material. If the aerosol inhaler 100B is a medical inhaler, such as a nebulizer, the aerosol source may also include medication for inhalation by the patient. The aerosol substrate 116B may be configured such that the aerosol substrate 116B itself can be replaced when the aerosol source is consumed. The aerosol source is not limited to a liquid and may be a solid.

  The atomization unit 118B is configured to atomize an aerosol source to generate an aerosol. When the sensor 112 detects a suction operation or another operation by the user, the atomizing unit 118B generates an aerosol. The atomizing unit 118B includes a heater (not shown) including a load electrically connected to the power supply 110. When the suction operation or another operation by the user is detected, the control unit 106 controls the power supply to the heater of the atomizing unit 118B, and heats the aerosol source carried in the aerosol base material 116B, thereby Atomize the aerosol source. An air intake passage 120 is connected to the atomizing unit 118B, and the air intake passage 120 communicates with the outside of the aerosol inhaler 100B. The aerosol generated in the atomizing unit 118B is mixed with the air taken in via the air intake passage 120. The mixed fluid of aerosol and air is delivered to the aerosol channel 121, as indicated by arrow 124. The aerosol flow channel 121 has a tubular structure for transporting the mixed fluid of the aerosol and air generated in the atomization unit 118B to the suction port 122.

  The control unit 106 is configured to control the aerosol inhalers 100A and 100B (hereinafter, also collectively referred to as “aerosol inhaler 100”) according to the embodiment of the present disclosure by various methods.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary circuit configuration for a portion of aerosol inhaler 100, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.
The circuit 200 illustrated in FIG. 2 includes a power supply 110, a control unit 106, sensors 112A to 112D (hereinafter also collectively referred to as “sensor 112”), a load 132 (hereinafter also referred to as “heater resistance”), a first circuit 202, A second circuit 204, a switch Q1 including a first field effect transistor (FET) 206, a conversion unit 208, a switch Q2 including a second FET 210, and a resistor 212 (hereinafter, also referred to as “shunt resistor”) are provided. The electric resistance value of the load 132 changes depending on the temperature. In other words, the load 132 may include a PTC heater. The shunt resistor 212 is connected in series with the load 132 and has a known electric resistance value. The electrical resistance value of the shunt resistor 212 may be almost or completely invariant with temperature. The shunt resistor 212 has a larger electric resistance value than the load 132. Depending on the embodiment, the sensors 112C, 112D may be omitted. The first FET 206 included in the switch Q1 and the second FET 210 included in the switch Q2 each serve as a switch that opens and closes an electric circuit. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that as the switch, not only the FET but also various elements such as IGBT and contactor can be used as the switches Q1 and Q2. Also, the switches Q1 and Q2 preferably have the same characteristics, but they do not have to be. Therefore, the FETs, the IGBTs, the contactors, and the like used as the switches Q1 and Q2 preferably have the same characteristics, but they do not have to be so.

  The conversion unit 208 is, for example, a switching converter, and may include the FET 214, the diode 216, the inductor 218, and the capacitor 220. The control unit 106 may control the conversion unit 208 so that the conversion unit 208 converts the output voltage of the power supply 110 and the converted output voltage is applied to the entire circuit. Here, the conversion unit 208 is preferably configured to output a constant voltage under the control of the control unit 106 at least while the switch Q2 is in the ON state. Further, the conversion unit 208 may be configured to output a constant voltage under the control of the control unit 106 even while the switch Q1 is in the ON state. A constant voltage output by the conversion unit 208 under the control of the control unit 106 while the switch Q1 is on, and a constant voltage output by the conversion unit 208 under the control of the control unit 106 while the switch Q2 is on. The voltages may be the same or different. When these are different, the constant voltage output by the conversion unit 208 under the control of the control unit 106 while the switch Q1 is in the ON state is controlled by the control unit 106 while the switch Q2 is in the ON state. It may be higher or lower than the constant voltage to be output. According to this configuration, the voltage and other parameters are stable, so that the accuracy of estimating the remaining amount of aerosol is improved. Further, the conversion unit 208 may be configured such that, under the control of the control unit 106, the output voltage of the power supply 110 is directly applied to the first circuit while only the switch Q1 is in the ON state. Such a mode may be realized by the control unit 106 controlling the switching converter in the direct connection mode in which the switching operation is stopped. The conversion unit 208 is not an essential component and can be omitted.

  The circuit 134 shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B electrically connects the power supply 110 and the load 132, and may include a first circuit 202 and a second circuit 204. The first circuit 202 and the second circuit 204 are connected in parallel to the power supply 110 and the load 132. The first circuit 202 may include a switch Q1. The second circuit 204 may include switch Q2 and resistor 212 (and optionally sensor 112D). The first circuit 202 may have a smaller resistance value than the second circuit 204. In this example, the sensors 112B and 112D are voltage sensors, and are configured to detect the potential difference (hereinafter, also referred to as “voltage” or “voltage value”) between the load 132 and the resistor 212, respectively. .. However, the configuration of the sensor 112 is not limited to this. For example, the sensor 112 may be a current sensor and may detect the value of the current flowing through one or both of the load 132 and the resistor 212.

  As shown by a dotted arrow in FIG. 2, the control unit 106 can control the switch Q1, the switch Q2, and the like, and can acquire the value detected by the sensor 112. The control unit 106 may be configured to cause the first circuit 202 to function by switching the switch Q1 from the off state to the on state, and to function the second circuit 204 by switching the switch Q2 from the off state to the on state. Good. The control unit 106 may be configured to alternately operate the first circuit 202 and the second circuit 204 by alternately switching the switches Q1 and Q2.

  The first circuit 202 is mainly used for atomizing the aerosol source. When the switch Q1 is switched to the ON state and the first circuit 202 functions, the heater (that is, the load 132 in the heater) is supplied with power and the load 132 is heated. By heating the load 132, the aerosol source (in the case of the aerosol inhaler 100B of FIG. 1B, the aerosol source carried by the aerosol base material 116B) held by the holding section 130 in the atomizing section 118A is atomized and aerosol is generated. Is generated.

  The second circuit 204 is used to acquire the value of the voltage applied to the load 132, the value of the current flowing in the load 132, the value of the voltage applied to the resistor 212, the value of the current flowing in the resistor 212, and the like.

2 Basic Principle 2-1 Acquisition of Resistance Value of Load 132 The acquired voltage or current value can be used to acquire the resistance value of the load 132. Hereinafter, consider a case where the switch Q1 is off and the first circuit 202 is not functioning, and the switch Q2 is on and the second circuit 204 is functioning. In this case, since the current flows through the switch Q2, the shunt resistor 212, and the load 132, the resistance value R _HTR of the load 132 can be obtained by calculation using, for example, the following formula.

Here, V _out is a voltage that can be detected by the sensor 112C or a predetermined target voltage output by the conversion unit 208, and represents the voltage applied to the entire first circuit 202 and the second circuit 204. . When the conversion unit 208 is not used, the voltage V _out may be the voltage V _Batt that can be detected by the sensor 112A. V _HTR represents the voltage applied to the load 132 that can be detected by the sensor 112B, and V _shunt represents the voltage applied to the shunt resistor 212 that can be detected by the sensor 112D. I _HTR represents a current flowing through the load 132 (in this case, the same as the current flowing through the shunt resistor 212) that can be detected by a sensor (for example, a Hall element) not shown. R _shunt represents a known resistance value of the shunt resistor 212 that can be determined in advance.

  The resistance value of the load 132 can be obtained by using at least the equation (1) regardless of whether the switch Q2 is functioning even when the switch Q1 is in the on state. This means that the embodiment of the present disclosure can use the output value of the sensor 112 acquired when the switch Q1 is in the on state, or can use the circuit in which the second circuit 204 does not exist. is doing. It should be noted that the method described above is merely an example, and the resistance value of the load 132 may be obtained by any method.

2-2 Acquisition of Temperature of Load 132 The acquired resistance value of the load 132 can be used to acquire the temperature of the load 132. Specifically, when the load 132 has a positive or negative temperature coefficient characteristic in which the resistance value changes depending on the temperature (the positive temperature coefficient characteristic may be referred to as “PTC characteristic”), it is known in advance. The temperature T _{HTR of the} load 132 can be estimated based on the relationship or correlation between the resistance value and the temperature of the load 132 which is set, and the resistance value R _HTR of the load 132 obtained by the equation (1). it can. More specifically, there is the following relationship between the resistance value R _HTR of the load 132 and the temperature T _HTR .

Therefore,

Here, T _ref is a predetermined reference temperature, R _ref is a reference resistance value, and α _TCR is a known constant that depends on the material of the load 132. Here, in order to accurately obtain the temperature _THTR of the load 132, the reference resistance value R _ref needs to be equal to the resistance value of the load 132 at the reference temperature T _ref . That is, if the load 132 is set to a desired reference temperature T _ref in advance and the resistance value of the load 132 at that time is acquired as the reference resistance value R _ref , an unknown temperature of the load 132 at any time is obtained. the T _HTR, by giving a resistance value _{R HTR} load 132 obtained by equation (1) at that time, it is possible to obtain by calculation using equation (3).

2-3 Determination of Depletion or Insufficiency of Aerosol Source The aerosol inhaler 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure determines occurrence of depletion or insufficiency of an aerosol source.

In the present disclosure, the remaining amount of the aerosol source is “depleted” means that the remaining amount of the aerosol source is zero or almost zero.
Further, in the present disclosure, “insufficient remaining amount of the aerosol source” may mean that the remaining amount of the aerosol source is not sufficient but is not depleted. Alternatively, it may mean that the remaining amount of the aerosol source is sufficient for instantaneous aerosol generation but insufficient for continuous aerosol generation. Alternatively, the residual amount of the aerosol source may mean an insufficient state in which an aerosol having a sufficient flavor and taste cannot be produced.

  Furthermore, when the aerosol source is saturated in the aerosol base material 116B or the holding unit 130, the temperature of the load 132 is the boiling point of the aerosol source or the temperature at which the aerosol is generated by evaporation of the aerosol source (hereinafter referred to as "boiling point"). .) And the steady state is reached. It will be understood that this phenomenon is because the heat generated in the load 132 by the electric power supplied from the power source 110 is used not for raising the temperature of the aerosol source at these temperatures but for vaporizing the aerosol source or generating the aerosol. Here, although the aerosol source is not in the saturated state in the aerosol base material 116B or the holding unit 130, the temperature of the load 132 is in a steady state due to the boiling point or the like even when the remaining amount is a certain amount or more. In the present disclosure, "the remaining amount of the aerosol source in the aerosol base material 116B or the holding unit 130 is" sufficient "" means that the remaining amount of the aerosol source in the aerosol base member 116B or the holding unit 130 is the certain amount or more, or It means that the remaining amount of the aerosol source in the aerosol base material 116B or the holding unit 130 is a state (including a saturated state) where the temperature of the load 132 becomes a steady state due to the boiling point or the like. It should be noted that in the latter case, it is not necessary to specify the specific remaining amount of the aerosol source in the aerosol base material 116B or the holding unit 130. Further, the boiling point of the aerosol source and the temperature at which the aerosol is generated coincide with each other when the aerosol source is a liquid having a single composition. On the other hand, when the aerosol source is a mixed liquid, the boiling point of the theoretical mixed liquid obtained by Raoul's law may be regarded as the temperature at which the generation of aerosol occurs, or the aerosol is generated by the boiling of the aerosol source. The temperature to be measured may be experimentally determined.

  Furthermore, when the remaining amount of the aerosol source in the storage unit 116A is less than a certain amount, in principle, the supply of the aerosol source from the storage unit 116A to the holding unit 130 is stopped (an extremely small amount of aerosol source It may be supplied or may be supplied to some extent by tilting or shaking the aerosol inhaler 100). In the present disclosure, the remaining amount of the aerosol source for the storage unit 116A is “sufficient” means that the remaining amount of the aerosol source in the storage unit 116A is equal to or more than the certain amount, or the aerosol source in the holding unit 130 is saturated. Alternatively, it means a state in which the residual amount of the aerosol source can be supplied to a certain level or more so that the supply is possible. In the latter case, since it is possible to estimate or determine that the remaining amount of the aerosol source in the storage unit 116A is sufficient because the temperature of the load 132 is in a steady state such as the boiling point, the aerosol source in the storage unit 116A is sufficient. Note that it is not necessary to specify the specific remaining amount of Further, in this case, when the remaining amount of the aerosol source in the holding unit 130 is insufficient (that is, insufficient or exhausted), the remaining amount of the aerosol source in the storage unit 116A is insufficient (that is, insufficient or exhausted). ) Can be estimated or judged.

  FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a time-series change (hereinafter, also referred to as “temperature profile”) of the temperature of the load 132 (hereinafter, also referred to as “heater temperature”) after the power supply to the load 132 is started. The graph 300 and the temperature change 350 of the load 132 per predetermined time or per predetermined power supplied are illustrated.

310 in the graph 300 shows a schematic temperature profile of the load 132 when the remaining amount of the aerosol source in the holding part or the like is sufficient, and T _{B. P.} Indicates the boiling point of the aerosol source and the like. When the remaining amount of the aerosol source in the holding part or the like is sufficient, the temperature profile 310 shows that after the temperature of the load 132 starts to rise, the boiling point of the aerosol source etc. T _{B. P.} Or boiling point T _{B. P.} It is shown that a steady state is reached in the vicinity of. This is considered to be because finally, almost all of the electric power supplied to the load 132 is spent on atomization of the aerosol source in the holding portion or the like, so that the temperature rise of the load 132 due to the supplied electric power does not occur. ..

  It should be noted that the temperature profile 310 is merely a schematic representation, and in actuality, the temperature of the load 132 may include a local up-and-down movement, and some transient change (not shown) may occur. Note that there is. These transient changes may occur due to temperature deviation that may temporarily occur in the load 132, chattering that occurs in the temperature of the load 132 itself, a sensor that detects an electrical parameter corresponding to the temperature of the load 132, or the like. ..

320 in the graph 300 shows a schematic temperature profile of the load 132 when the remaining amount of the aerosol source in the holding part or the like is not sufficient. When the remaining amount of the aerosol source in the holding portion or the like is not sufficient, the temperature profile 320 shows that the temperature of the load 132 starts to rise and then the boiling point of the aerosol source such as TB _{. P.} Higher equilibrium temperature T _equi. Indicates that there may be a steady state in. This is because the temperature rise due to the electric power applied to the load 132 and the heat transfer to the substances near the load 132 (including the gas around the load 132, a part of the structure of the aerosol inhaler 100, etc.). This is considered to be due to the balance between the temperature decrease due to the above and the temperature decrease due to the heat of vaporization of a small amount of the aerosol source in the aerosol base material 116B or the holding unit 130 in some cases. When the remaining amount of the aerosol source in the holding part or the like is not sufficient, the remaining amount of the aerosol source in the aerosol base material 116B or the holding part 130 or the remaining amount of the aerosol source in the storage part 116A (supply of the aerosol source to the holding part 130) It has been confirmed that the load 132 may be in a steady state at different temperatures depending on the distribution of the aerosol source in the aerosol base material 116B or the holding unit 130 and the like. Equilibrium temperature T _equi. Is one of such temperatures, preferably one of such temperatures, which is the highest temperature (the residual amount of the aerosol source in the aerosol substrate 116B or the holding part 130 is completely zero). Temperature when the temperature is not). It has been confirmed that the temperature of the load 132 may not reach a steady state when the remaining amount of the aerosol source in the holding part or the like is not sufficient. Boiling point of T _{B. P.} There is no change in reaching a higher temperature.

Based on the schematic temperature profile of the load 132 when the aerosol source in the holding portion and the like is sufficient and not sufficient, basically, the temperature of the load 132 is basically the boiling point T _{B of the} aerosol source. _{． P.} Above equilibrium temperature T _equi. It is determined whether or not the remaining amount of the aerosol source in the holding portion or the like is sufficient (that is, insufficient or depleted) by determining whether or not the following predetermined temperature threshold T _thre is _exceeded. It is possible.

The temperature change 350 of the load 132 per predetermined time period indicates the temperature change of the load 132 per predetermined time period Δt from the time point t1 to the time point t2 in the graph 300. Reference numerals 360 and 370 respectively correspond to temperature changes when the remaining amount of the aerosol source in the holding portion or the like is sufficient and when it is not sufficient. The temperature change 360 indicates that the temperature of the load 132 increases by ΔT _sat per predetermined time Δt when the remaining amount of the aerosol source in the holding portion or the like is sufficient. Further, the temperature change 370 indicates that the temperature of the load 132 increases by ΔT _{dep, which} is larger than ΔT _sat per predetermined time Δt, when the remaining amount of the aerosol source in the holding unit or the like is not sufficient. Note that ΔT _sat and ΔT _dep change depending on the length of the predetermined time Δt, and even if the length is fixed, it changes when t1 (and t2) is changed. Hereinafter, ΔT _sat and ΔT _dep are assumed to be the maximum temperature changes that can be taken when t1 (and t2) are changed in a predetermined time Δt of a certain length.

Based on the temperature change of the load 132 per predetermined time when the aerosol source in the holding part and the like is sufficient and not sufficient, basically, the temperature change per predetermined time Δt is ΔT _sat or more. By determining whether or not a predetermined temperature change threshold value ΔT _thre that is equal to or less than ΔT _{dep is exceeded} , the remaining amount of the aerosol source in the holding unit or the like is sufficient or insufficient (that is, insufficient or depleted). Can be determined.

  Note that, instead of the temperature change per predetermined time Δt, the temperature change of the load 132 per predetermined electric power ΔW supplied to the load 132 is used, and the remaining amount of the aerosol source in the holding part or the like is sufficient or not sufficient. It will be appreciated that one can judge.

3 Problems Related to Basic Principle 3-1 Correlation between Resistance Value of Load 132 and Temperature When the temperature _THTR of the load 132 is acquired by the equation (3), as described above, the predetermined reference temperature T _{ref is} set in advance. In this case, the resistance value of the load 132 at the time of is required to be acquired and stored as the reference resistance value R _ref .

However, the resistance value of the load 132 at the same temperature may be different for each individual due to the individual difference of the heater. Therefore, an error ε _product due to product tolerance may exist between the resistance value of the load 132 acquired in advance in one heater and the resistance value of the load 132 in another heater at the reference temperature T _ref. ..

Even if the same heater is used, due to various reasons such as deterioration, for example, the resistance value of the load 132 at the reference temperature T _ref, which is previously acquired at the time of factory shipment, and the reference temperature after being used. There may be an error ε _{deterioration} due to a change with time between the resistance value of the load 132 and the resistance value of T _ref .

Furthermore, when the temperature of the load 132 is actually deviated from the reference temperature T _ref when the resistance value is acquired in advance as the reference resistance value, the resistance value acquired in advance and the reference temperature T There may be an error ε _{temperatureature} due to a temperature shift between the resistance value of the load 132 and _ref .

Given the above, the reference resistance value R _ref obtained in advance, in the heater is not a pre-acquired heater reference resistance R _ref, is later than a time point (the time of the pre-acquired the reference resistance value R _ref. ), The following error ε may exist between the resistance value when the reference temperature is T _ref exactly.

In equation (4), | ε _product |, | ε _temperature |, and | ε _modification | can be the maximum value of error due to product tolerance, the maximum value of error due to temperature deviation, and the error due to change over time. It shows the maximum value. | Epsilon _product | a | epsilon _Temperature | a | epsilon _{Deterioration} | for each possible even positive value even negative value, the absolute value of the error ε, | ε _product | a | epsilon _Temperature | a | epsilon _{Deterioration} | Is less than or equal to the sum of. If equation (3) is rewritten in consideration of the error ε, it can be expressed as follows.

It should be noted that the error ε can take a positive value or a negative value. Here, R ^* _ref is the resistance value at the time when the resistance value R _HTR is acquired in the heater which is trying to acquire the temperature of the load 132 by the equation (3), when the resistance value is exactly the reference temperature T _ref (hereinafter , "True reference resistance value"). The relationship between the previously acquired reference resistance value R _ref and the true reference resistance value R ^* _ref is as follows.

According to the equation (5), when the error ε has a large positive value, the temperature _{THTR of the} load 132 calculated by the equation becomes lower than the true value. On the contrary, when the error ε has a large negative value, the temperature _{THTR of the} load 132 calculated by the equation becomes higher than the true value.

Therefore, in principle, it is preferable to make the absolute values of the above-mentioned errors ε _product , ε _temperature, and ε _{deterioration} as small as possible in the previously obtained reference resistance value R _ref used in the equation (3).

3-2 Determination of Depletion or Insufficiency of Aerosol Source When the aerosol suction speed by the user is fast, etc., the remaining amount of the aerosol source in the storage section 116A is sufficient, but the supply is not in time, so the holding section 130 There will be a situation where the remaining amount of the aerosol source in will be insufficient. The above-mentioned basic principle alone cannot cope with such a situation.

4 Process of Measuring Temperature of Load 132 and Determining Depletion or Insufficiency of Aerosol Source Hereinafter, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a temperature of the load 132 is measured to determine occurrence of depletion or insufficiency of the aerosol source. The processing will be described. Regarding the processing described below, it is assumed that the control unit 106 executes all steps. However, it should be noted that some steps may be performed by another component of aerosol inhaler 100.

4-1 Main Process Overview FIGS. 4A and 4B are flow charts of an exemplary main process 400 for measuring the temperature of load 132 and determining depletion or deficiency of an aerosol source. The main process 400 is repeated while the aerosol inhaler 100 is operating.

  Reference numeral 410 represents a step of determining whether the first condition and the second condition are satisfied. If it is determined that the first condition and the second condition are satisfied, the process proceeds to step 420, and if not, step 410 is repeated. The first condition and the second condition will be described later.

  In a subsequent step 450 described below, a signal is sent to turn on switch Q1 to atomize the aerosol source. If at least one of the first condition and the second condition is not satisfied in step 410, the process does not proceed to step 450, and accordingly, it is prohibited to turn on the switch Q1.

  Reference numeral 420 represents a step of determining whether or not a request for generating an aerosol has been detected. If it is determined that an aerosol generation request has been detected, the processing proceeds to step 430, and if not, step 420 is repeated.

  For example, the control unit 106 may determine that the aerosol generation request is detected when the suction start by the user is detected, based on the information obtained from the pressure sensor, the flow velocity sensor, the flow rate sensor, and the like. More specifically, for example, the control unit 106 can determine that the suction start by the user is detected when the output value of the pressure sensor, that is, the pressure falls below a predetermined threshold value. Further, for example, the control unit 106 can determine that the suction start by the user is detected when the output value of the flow rate sensor or the flow rate sensor, that is, the flow rate or the flow rate exceeds a predetermined threshold value. In such a determination method, the flow velocity sensor or the flow rate sensor is particularly suitable because the aerosol can be generated according to the sense of the user. Alternatively, the control unit 106 may determine that the suction start by the user is detected when the output values of these sensors start to change continuously. Alternatively, the control unit 106 may determine that the start of suction by the user is detected based on, for example, pressing a button for starting generation of aerosol. Alternatively, the control unit 106 may determine that the suction start by the user is detected based on both the information obtained from the pressure sensor, the flow velocity sensor or the flow rate sensor and the pressing of the button.

  Reference numeral 430 represents a step of determining whether the counter is equal to or less than a predetermined counter threshold. If the counter is less than or equal to the predetermined counter threshold, the process proceeds to step 440, otherwise the process proceeds to step 464 of FIG. 4B described below.

The predetermined counter threshold may be one or more predetermined values. The significance of step 430 will be described later.
Reference numeral 440 represents a step of determining whether the temperature of the load 132 can be regarded as being at the reference temperature T _ref . If it is determined that the temperature of the load 132 can be regarded as being at the reference temperature T _ref , the process proceeds to step 442, and if not, the process proceeds to step 448. Details of step 440 will be described later.

Reference numeral 442 represents a step of transmitting a signal for turning on the switch Q2 in order to obtain the resistance value of the load 132.
Reference numeral 443 represents a step of acquiring the resistance value of the load 132 as R ₂ by the above-described principle using the equation (1) and at least temporarily storing it in the memory 114. As will be described later, this resistance value R ₂ is used to calibrate the correlation between the temperature of the load 132 and the resistance value.

Reference numeral 444 indicates a step of transmitting a signal for turning off the switch Q2.
In order to calibrate the correlation between the temperature of the load 132 and the resistance value, in order to calibrate the temperature of the load 132 in step 455, which will be described later, the reference numeral 445 sets the variable representing the reference resistance value R _ref to the resistance acquired in the immediately preceding step 443. The step of substituting the value R ₂ is shown.

448 is a variable representing the reference resistance value R _ref, which is either the resistance value R ₂ acquired in the previous step 443 or the resistance value R ₁ of the load 132 acquired when replacing the cartridge 104A described later. The step of substituting is shown.

If the value of the variable representing the reference resistance value R _ref is held during the operation of the aerosol inhaler 100, step 448 is performed if the value of the variable representing the reference resistance value R _ref is not set. It may be a step of substituting the value of the resistance value R _{1 into} a variable and doing nothing otherwise.

Note that the substitutions in steps 445 and 448 improve the accuracy of the temperature _THTR of the load 132 calculated by the equation used in step 455 described later that represents the correlation between the temperature of the load 132 and the electrical resistance value. It is an example of a process of calibrating the correlation.

450 shows the step of sending a signal to turn on the switch Q1 to atomize the aerosol source.
Reference numeral 451 denotes a step of transmitting a signal for turning on the switch Q2 in order to acquire the resistance value of the load 132, and 452 indicates a switch for acquiring the resistance value of the load 132 with high accuracy. The steps of transmitting a signal to turn off Q1 are shown. The order of steps 451 and 452 may be either first or simultaneous, but in consideration of the delay between the signal being sent to the switch and the actual state change, step 451 precedes step 452. Is preferred.

Reference numeral 453 represents a step of acquiring the resistance value of the load 132 as R ₃ according to the above-described principle using the equation (1).
Reference numeral 454 represents a step of transmitting a signal for turning off the switch Q2.

Reference numeral 455 denotes a step of obtaining the temperature _THTR of the load 132 according to the above-described principle using the equation (3).
Reference _numeral 460 indicates a step of adding the temperature _THTR of the load 132 obtained in the immediately preceding step 455 to the list which is a data structure so that the temperature _THTR can be referred to later. Note that the list is merely an example, and any data structure capable of holding a plurality of data such as an array may be used in step 460. Note that the process of step 460 is executed a plurality of times unless it is determined in step 470 described later that the process proceeds to step 480. If step 460 is performed multiple times, the temperature _THTR of load 132 in the data structure is not overwritten and is added as many times as the process of step 460 is performed.

Reference numeral 462 represents a step of determining whether or not the temperature _{THTR of the} load 132 acquired in the immediately preceding step 455 is less than the predetermined first threshold value. If the temperature _THTR of the load 132 is less than the first threshold value, the process proceeds to step 470, and if not, the process proceeds to step 464.

The first threshold value is preferably a temperature at which depletion of the aerosol source is strongly suspected when the temperature of the load 132 is exceeded, for example, 300 ° C.
Reference numeral 464 represents a step of inhibiting the switch Q1 from being turned on.

  This step may be a step of setting a flag relating to the first condition in the memory 114, and this flag may be released when the cartridge 104A is replaced. That is, in this example, the first condition is that the cartridge 104A is replaced, and the first condition is not satisfied until the flag is cleared, that is, until the cartridge 104A is replaced. Be false.

Reference numeral 466 denotes a step of making a predetermined notification on the UI (user interface) on the notification unit 108.
This notification may be a notification indicating that the cartridge 104A should be replaced.

  Reference numeral 470 represents a step of determining whether or not the aerosol generation request has ended. If it is determined that the aerosol generation request is completed, the process proceeds to step 480, and if not, the process returns to step 450.

  The control unit 106 may determine that the aerosol generation request has ended when the control unit 106 detects the end of suction by the user, for example, based on information obtained from the pressure sensor, the flow velocity sensor, the flow rate sensor, and the like. Here, for example, the control unit 106 determines that the end of suction is detected by the user when the output value of the pressure sensor, that is, the pressure exceeds a predetermined threshold value, in other words, the generation of aerosol is not requested. be able to. In addition, for example, the control unit 106 is requested to generate the aerosol, in other words, the end of suction by the user is detected when the output value of the flow velocity sensor or the flow rate sensor, that is, the flow velocity or the flow rate falls below a predetermined threshold value. It can be determined that there is no. Note that this threshold may be greater than the threshold in step 420, equal to the threshold, or less than the threshold. Alternatively, the control unit 106 determines that the end of the suction by the user is detected based on, for example, the button for starting the generation of the aerosol is released, in other words, the generation of the aerosol is not requested. May be. Alternatively, the control unit 106 detects that the suction end by the user is detected when a predetermined condition such as a predetermined time elapses after the button for starting the generation of the aerosol is pressed, in other words, the aerosol. May be determined not to be requested.

Reference numeral 480 represents a step of determining whether the maximum value in the list in which the temperature _THTR of one or more of the load 132 is held is less than a predetermined second threshold value. If the maximum value is less than the second threshold value, the process proceeds to step 488, otherwise, the process proceeds to step 482.

  The second threshold value is a temperature at which the aerosol source may be depleted when the temperature of the load 132 exceeds, but there is a possibility that the aerosol source in the holding unit 130 may be temporarily insufficient due to lack of supply. Is preferred. Therefore, the second threshold may be smaller than the first threshold, for example 250 ° C.

Reference numeral 482 indicates a step of temporarily prohibiting the switch Q1 from being turned on.
This step may be a step of setting a flag relating to the second condition in the memory 114, and this flag may be released when a predetermined time has elapsed from the setting of the flag. That is, in this example, the second condition is that a predetermined time has passed since the flag was set, and the second condition is not satisfied until the flag is cleared, that is, until a predetermined time has passed from the setting of the flag. Therefore, the determination in step 410 is temporarily false. The predetermined time may be 10 seconds or longer, for example, 11 seconds.

Reference numeral 484 denotes a step of making a predetermined notification on the UI on the notification unit 108.
This notification may be a notification prompting the patient to wait for a while for inhaling the aerosol.
Reference numeral 486 indicates a step of incrementing the counter, for example, adding 1 to the counter.

Reference numeral 488 indicates the step of initializing the counter and the list. This step allows the counter to be zero and the list to be empty.
In the present embodiment, the temperature _THTR of the load 132 is compared with the second threshold value in step 480 after the aerosol generation request is completed. Instead of the present embodiment, the temperature _THTR of the load 132 may be compared with the second threshold value before the aerosol generation request ends. In this case, when it is determined that the temperature _THTR of the load 132 is equal to or higher than the second threshold, the temperature _THTR of the load 132 and the second threshold need not be further compared until the aerosol generation request is completed.

4-2 Outline of Auxiliary Process FIG. 5 is a flowchart of an exemplary process 500 that assists the main process 400. The auxiliary process 500 can be executed simultaneously with the main process 400 or in parallel.

  Reference numeral 510 denotes a step of determining whether the replacement of the cartridge 104A has been detected. If cartridge replacement is detected, the process proceeds to step 520, otherwise step 510 is repeated.

Reference numeral 520 denotes a step of transmitting a signal for turning on the switch Q2 to obtain the resistance value of the load 132.
Reference numeral 530 denotes a step of acquiring the resistance value of the load 132 as R ₁ according to the above-described principle using the equation (1) and at least temporarily storing it in the memory 114.

Reference numeral 540 represents a step of transmitting a signal for turning off the switch Q2.
550 represents the step of initializing the above-mentioned counters and lists used in the process 400.

4-3 Regarding Resistance Value R ₁ of Load 132 The load 132 is included in the heater included in each cartridge. The resistance value R ₁ in step 530 is obtained for the load 132 included in the connected cartridge, and the temperature T _HTR in step 455 is obtained for the load 132 included in the connected cartridge. Therefore, by using the resistance value R ₁ as the reference resistance value R _ref , the error ε _product due to the product tolerance in the reference resistance value R _ref becomes zero.

4-4 Regarding Resistance Value R ₂ of Load 132 The acquisition of the resistance value R ₂ of the load 132 in Step 443 is executed after the acquisition of the resistance value R ₁ in Step 530. In addition, step 443 is a step immediately before the generation of the aerosol. Therefore, when the resistance value _{R 2} as the reference resistance value _{R ref,} rather than using the resistance value _{R 1,} the error epsilon _{Deterioration} decreases due to aging of the reference resistance _{R ref.}

Moreover, using the resistance value R ₂ as the reference resistance value R _ref also makes the error ε _product due to the product tolerance in the reference resistance value R _ref zero.
It should be noted that the acquisition of the resistance value R ₂ of the load 132 in step 443 is performed during the detection of the aerosol generation request, and thus is an example of the one triggered by the detection of the aerosol generation request.

4-5 Judgment as to whether or not the _temperature of the load 132 can be regarded as being at the reference temperature T _{ref The} error ε _temperature due to the _{temperature difference} is to obtain the reference resistance value when the _temperature of the load 132 is near the reference temperature T _ref. Becomes smaller by That is, when it is determined in step 440 that the temperature of the load 132 can be regarded as being at the reference temperature T _ref , the resistance value R ₂ of the load 132 is acquired in step 443, and the resistance value R ₂ is set as the reference resistance value R _ref. The use is also intended to reduce the error ε _temperature due to the temperature shift in the reference resistance value R _ref .

Hereinafter, an example of determining whether the temperature of the load 132 can be regarded as being at the reference temperature T _ref will be described.
FIG. 6 is a graph 600 showing the change over time in the temperature of the load 132 after the heating or power supply to the load 132 is stopped. The horizontal axis of the graph 600 represents the time after the power supply to the load 132 is stopped, and the vertical axis represents the temperature of the load 132. 610 is a plot showing an example temperature change of the load 132 when the remaining amount of the aerosol source is sufficient, and 620 shows an example temperature change of the load 132 when the remaining amount of the aerosol source is not sufficient 3 Shows one plot.

The graph 600 shows that if a sufficient time has passed after the power supply to the load 132 is stopped, the temperature of the load 132 is room temperature TR _{. T.} To return to. Therefore, the reference temperature T _{ref is set} to the room temperature TR _{. T.} Then, by using the resistance value of the load 132 acquired after a longer time has passed after the power supply to the load 132 is stopped as the reference resistance value R _ref , the error ε _temperature error due to the temperature shift becomes smaller. Tend.

Therefore, the reference temperature T _ref is set to a temperature based on the environment in which the aerosol inhaler 100 is assumed to be used, for example, room temperature TR _{. T.} If so, the determination in step 440 as to whether the temperature of the load 132 can be considered to be the reference temperature T _ref is the elapsed time until the aerosol generation request is detected in step 420, and the previous execution in step 470 was performed. May be based on the elapsed time from the end of the detection of the generation request or the end of the power supply to the load 132 in step 452 executed last time.

  The environment in which the aerosol inhaler 100 is supposed to be used may include a user who has the aerosol inhaler 100. Therefore, the temperature based on the environment in which the aerosol inhaler 100 is supposed to be used may be a temperature in consideration of the body temperature or the temperature of the exhaled air transmitted from the user to the aerosol inhaler 100.

Here, according to the applicant's experiments, the resistance of the load 132 at the time the power supply has passed 10000ms That 10s from the stop to the load 132 as the reference resistance value _{R ref,} room temperature reference temperature _{T ref T R ． T.} It has been found that the temperature T _HTR of the load 132 set by the above equation and obtained by the equation (3) has sufficient accuracy for the purpose of judging the shortage or exhaustion of the aerosol source according to the principle described above. Importantly, the temperature of the load 132 at the time point 10 s after the power supply to the load 132 is stopped is strictly room temperature TR _{. T. But T'R. T.} It was there. That is, the temperature of the load 132 when obtaining the reference resistance value R _ref does not need to be strictly at the reference temperature T _ref for the purpose of determining the shortage or exhaustion of the aerosol source according to the principle described above. That is, the temperature _{THTR of the} load 132 is _{T'R . T.} Or the temperature T _{HTR of the} load 132 is equal to _{T'R . T.} It may be considered that the temperature T _{HTR of the} load 132 is at the reference temperature T _{ref because} it is _close to the reference temperature T _ref .

Therefore, in step 440, if the elapsed time is equal to or longer than the time required to cool the load 132 from the temperature at which the aerosol can be generated to the temperature at which the load 132 can be considered to be at the reference temperature T _ref , the temperature of the load 132 is determined. May be considered to be at the reference temperature T _ref .

It should be noted that the temperature that can be considered to be the reference temperature T _ref is the purpose of determining the shortage or exhaustion of the aerosol source according to the principle described above when the resistance value of the load 132 at the temperature is used as the reference resistance value R _ref. The temperature _THR of the load 132, which is unknown with sufficient accuracy in, can be obtained. For example, according to the experiment by the applicant, when the reference temperature T _ref is set to 25 ° C., the resistance value of the load 132 when the temperature of the load 132 is about 35 ° C. is used as the reference resistance value R _ref. The temperature T _HTR of the unknown load 132 could be obtained with sufficient accuracy for the purpose of determining the shortage or exhaustion of the aerosol source according to the principle described above. 25 ° C. is the room temperature TR _{. T.} Is. That is, the temperature which can be regarded to be in the reference temperature _{T ref} is a reference temperature _{T ref} or a reference temperature _T ref + 15 ° C. may be less.

Further, in step 440, the elapsed time is a predetermined time that is equal to or longer than the time required to cool the load 132 from a temperature at which aerosol can be generated to a temperature at which the reference temperature T _ref can be considered, and the load 132 Is greater than a predetermined time shorter than the time required to cool from a temperature that can be reached only when the aerosol source is exhausted to a temperature that can be considered to be at the reference temperature T _ref , the temperature of the load 132 becomes equal to the reference temperature T _ref . You may decide that it can be considered to be.

Further, the determination of whether the temperature of the load 132 in step 440 can be regarded as being at the reference temperature T _ref may be based on the output of the temperature sensor included in the power supply 110. For example, the temperature of the power supply 110 rises when power is supplied to the load 132, decreases when the power supply is stopped, and converges near the temperature of the surrounding environment. In other words, when the temperature of the power supply 110 has dropped and then the change has settled down, it can be estimated that sufficient time has elapsed from the end of power feeding. Therefore, in step 440, it is determined whether the temperature of the load 132 can be considered to be the reference temperature T _ref based on the output of the temperature sensor included in the power supply 110. It can be a determination of whether or not it is within.

The reference temperature T _ref may be set based on the output of the temperature sensor included in the power supply 110 or the temperature of the power supply 110 when the temperature change rate falls within a predetermined range after the temperature of the power supply 110 has dropped. ..

4-6 At least temporary prohibition of the switch Q1 being in the ON state It means that the switch Q1 is in the ON state when the temperature of the load 132 is not determined to be less than the first threshold value in Step 462. Prohibited via step 464 until the first condition is met. Further, the switch Q1 being turned on means that the second condition is determined via step 482 even when it is determined in step 480 that the past maximum temperature of one or more temperatures of the load 132 is not less than the second threshold value. Prohibited until satisfied.

  Here, the determination process in step 462 is repeated one or more times, usually a plurality of times, during the detection of the aerosol generation request, that is, in the heating phase of the aerosol source, while the determination process in step 480 ends the detection of the aerosol generation request. It is carried out only once in the latter phase, i.e. in the phase after the heating phase of the aerosol source. The subsequent phase is a phase in which heating of the aerosol source is completed. That is, the former process and the latter process have different execution frequencies. Further, the former process and the latter process have different execution phases.

In the present embodiment, the determination process in step 480 is executed only once after the completion of detection of the aerosol generation request, that is, in the phase after the heating phase of the aerosol source. In another embodiment instead of this embodiment, the determination process in step 480 may be performed during detection of the aerosol generation request, that is, in the heating phase of the aerosol source.
In the another embodiment, if the determination process in step 480 is negatively determined, the determination process in step 480 may not be executed thereafter. Further, in the another embodiment, even when the determination process in step 480 is negatively determined, the processes in and after step 482 may be performed after the end of detection of the aerosol generation request (step 470). It should be noted that, also in the other embodiment, the determination processing in step 462 and the determination processing in step 480 are executed at different frequencies.
In yet another embodiment, step 480 may be performed after step 462 and before step 470.

  As described above, when the aerosol suction speed by the user is high, etc., the remaining amount of the aerosol source in the storage unit 116A is sufficient, but since the supply is not in time, the remaining amount of the aerosol source in the holding unit 130 remains. A shortage situation occurs. In such a case, the shortage of the remaining amount of the aerosol source in the holding unit 130 is resolved with the passage of time, so it is sufficient to temporarily prohibit the ON state of the switch Q1. Further, in such a case, the temperature of the load 132 may be higher than the boiling point of the aerosol source or the like, but may not be in a steady state and exhibit unstable behavior. Step 480 is for identifying such a case, and for that purpose, it is determined whether the maximum value of the past one or more temperatures of the load 132 is less than the second threshold value. For that reason, the second condition imposed via step 482 for enabling the switch Q1 to be turned on again is preferably a condition that is satisfied over time.

  On the other hand, if the load 132 is heated when the aerosol source is really depleted, the load 132 will overheat. Therefore, when exhaustion of the aerosol source is strongly suspected, the heating of the load 132 is preferably stopped immediately. Step 462 is for identifying such a case, and therefore, it is judged whether the temperature of the load 132 is lower than the first threshold value higher than the second threshold value. Also, for that reason, the first condition, imposed via step 464, to allow the switch Q1 to be turned on again is not met over time, essentially depletion of the aerosol source. It is preferable that the condition satisfied by being resolved, for example, the condition satisfied by exchanging the cartridge 104A itself including the reservoir portion 116A of the aerosol source.

  In addition, when the load 132 does not show the temperature equal to or higher than the first threshold value but shows the temperature equal to or higher than the second threshold value many times, the aerosol source is exhausted rather than the temporary shortage of the aerosol source due to insufficient supply. There is a high possibility that Step 430 is for identifying such a case, and for that reason, in Step 486, the number of times that the switch Q1 is temporarily turned off is counted.

  In the main process 400, if the temperature of the load 132 is not determined to be less than the first threshold value even once in step 462, it is prohibited to immediately turn on the switch Q1. When it is determined multiple times that is not less than the first threshold, the switch Q1 may be prohibited from being turned on.

  FIG. 4C is a flowchart of a portion of another example main process 400 ′ that inhibits switch Q1 from turning on if it is determined multiple times that the temperature of load 132 is not below the first threshold. .. The steps denoted by the same reference numerals are the same in the main process 400 and the main process 400 '.

463 shows the same step as step 462, except that the process proceeds to step 468 when the temperature _THTR of the load 132 is not less than the first threshold value.
Reference numeral 468 represents a step of determining whether the second counter is equal to or less than a predetermined second counter threshold value. If the second counter is less than or equal to the predetermined second counter threshold, the process proceeds to step 469, otherwise, the process proceeds to step 464.

Reference numeral 469 indicates a step of incrementing the second counter, for example, adding 1 to the second counter.
The number of times of determination that the temperature of the load 132 is not lower than the second threshold value, which is necessary to prohibit the switch Q1 from being turned on (the number of times that the switch Q1 is turned on is temporarily prohibited). May be larger than the number of times of determination that the temperature of the load 132 is not lower than the first threshold value in order to reduce erroneous detection. Increasing the number of times of the former from the number of times of the latter can be realized by making the counter threshold value in step 430 larger than the second counter threshold value in step 468.

In the auxiliary process corresponding to the main process 400 ′, the step corresponding to step 550 of the auxiliary process 500 may include the step of initializing the second counter.
4-7 Detection of Cartridge Replacement When the cartridge 104A is attached to the main body 102, the electronic circuit included in the cartridge 104A is electrically connected to the electronic circuit of the main body 102 via at least two terminals included in the main body 102. Will be.

  The resistance value between the terminals when the cartridge 104A is attached to the main body 102 is a value according to the resistance value of the load 132 included in the cartridge 104A, while the resistance value when the cartridge 104A is removed from the main body 102. The resistance value between the terminals will be infinite or extremely large. This is because air is insulated between the terminals when the cartridge 104A is removed from the main body 102.

  Therefore, for example, the cartridge 104A is replaced by detecting that the resistance value between the terminals exceeds the predetermined value larger than the resistance value of the load 132 and then falls below the predetermined value again. Can be detected.

  In addition, the electronic circuit of the main body 102 has a potential difference (voltage) between the terminals when the cartridge 104A is attached to the main body 102 when a predetermined voltage is applied to the resistance value of the load 132 included in the cartridge 104A. It can be configured such that the potential difference (voltage) between the terminals when the cartridge 104A is detached from the main body 102 is larger than the value according to the resistance value of the load 132 while the value is in conformity.

  Therefore, for example, when a predetermined voltage is applied to the electronic circuit of the main body 102 and the potential difference (voltage) between the terminals is larger than a value according to the resistance value of the load 132 (generally, the electronic signal of the main body 102 is It is possible to detect that the cartridge 104A has been replaced by detecting that the cartridge 104A has dropped below the predetermined value after exceeding the voltage applied to the circuit).

5 Conclusion In the above description, the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described as a control device for an aerosol inhaler and a method of operating the control device. However, it will be understood that the present disclosure may be implemented as a program that causes the processor to execute the method when executed by the processor, or as a computer-readable storage medium that stores the program.

  Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it should be understood that these are merely examples and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. It should be understood that modifications, additions, improvements, and the like of the embodiments can be appropriately made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described embodiments, but should be defined only by the claims and their equivalents.

100A, 100B ... Aerosol generating device 102 ... Main body 104A ... Cartridge 104B ... Aerosol generating article 106 ... Control part 108 ... Notification part 110 ... Power supplies 112A to 112D ... Sensor 114 ... Memory 116A ... Reservoir 116B ... Aerosol base material 118A, 118B ... Atomization part 120 ... Air intake flow path 121 ... Aerosol flow path 122 ... Suction part 130 ... Holding part 132 ... Load 134 ... Circuit 202 ... First circuit 204 ... Second circuit 206, 210, 214 ... FET
208 ... Converter 212 ... Resistor 216 ... Diode 218 ... Inductor 220 ... Capacitor

Claims (26)

A first sensor which heats an aerosol source and outputs a value relating to an electric resistance value of a load or an electric resistance value having a correlation between the temperature and the electric resistance value;
A third sensor for outputting an aerosol generation request,
A control circuit configured to determine the exhaustion of the aerosol source or the temperature of the load based on the correlation and the output value of the first sensor,
The control circuit is
It is possible to obtain the output value of the first sensor at a plurality of timings including the second timing after the detection of the generation request and before the supply of the amount of electric power capable of generating the aerosol to the load,
The correlation can be calibrated based on the output value of the first sensor acquired at any of the plurality of timings,
When it can be considered that the load is at the reference temperature at the second timing, the output value of the first sensor is acquired, and the correlation is calibrated based on the output value.
Control device for aerosol inhalers. A first sensor which heats an aerosol source and outputs a value relating to an electric resistance value of a load or an electric resistance value having a correlation between the temperature and the electric resistance value;
A third sensor for outputting a request for generation of aerosol,
A control circuit configured to determine the exhaustion of the aerosol source or the temperature of the load based on the correlation and the output value of the first sensor,
The control circuit is
Exchange of the load can be detected,
The first sensor is provided at a plurality of timings including a first timing that is the time immediately after the replacement and a second timing that is after the generation request is detected and before a power amount capable of generating an aerosol is supplied to the load. Output value of
It is possible to calibrate the correlation based on the output value of the first sensor acquired at any of the plurality of timings,
When the load cannot be considered to be at the reference temperature at the second timing, the correlation is calibrated based on the output value of the first sensor acquired at the first timing.
Control device for aerosol inhalers. A first sensor which heats an aerosol source and outputs a value relating to an electric resistance value of a load or an electric resistance value having a correlation between the temperature and the electric resistance value;
A third sensor for outputting a request for generation of aerosol,
A control circuit configured to determine the exhaustion of the aerosol source or the temperature of the load based on the correlation and the output value of the first sensor,
The control circuit is
It is possible to obtain the output value of the first sensor at a plurality of timings including the second timing after the detection of the generation request and before the supply of the amount of electric power capable of generating the aerosol to the load,
It is possible to calibrate the correlation based on the output value of the first sensor acquired at any of the plurality of timings,
If the load cannot be considered to be at the reference temperature at the second timing, the correlation is not calibrated, or the correlation is calibrated based on the output value of the first sensor used during the previous calibration of the correlation. Composed,
Control device for aerosol inhalers. A first sensor which heats an aerosol source and outputs a value relating to an electric resistance value of a load or an electric resistance value having a correlation between the temperature and the electric resistance value;
A third sensor for outputting a request for generation of aerosol,
A control circuit configured to determine the exhaustion of the aerosol source or the temperature of the load based on the correlation and the output value of the first sensor,
The control circuit is
It is possible to obtain the output value of the first sensor at a plurality of timings including the second timing after the detection of the generation request and before the supply of the amount of electric power capable of generating the aerosol to the load,
It is possible to calibrate the correlation based on the output value of the first sensor acquired at any of the plurality of timings,
If the load cannot be considered to be at the reference temperature at the second timing, the correlation is configured to be calibrated based on the output value of the first sensor at the second timing before the previous time.
Control device for aerosol inhalers. A first sensor which heats an aerosol source and outputs a value relating to an electric resistance value of a load or an electric resistance value having a correlation between the temperature and the electric resistance value;
A first circuit including a first switch, which is connected in series between the load and the power supply;
A second circuit connected in parallel to the first circuit, including a known resistor and a second switch, and having a higher electrical resistance value than the first circuit;
A control circuit configured to determine the exhaustion of the aerosol source or the temperature of the load based on the correlation and the output value of the first sensor,
The control circuit is
It is possible to control the first switch and the second switch,
It is possible to acquire the output value of the first sensor at a plurality of timings,
At any one of the plurality of timings, based on the output value of the first sensor acquired while only the second switch of the first switch and the second switch is in the ON state, the correlation is calculated. Further configured to calibrate,
Control device for aerosol inhalers. A second sensor that outputs a voltage or resistance value between terminals to which the load is electrically connected,
The control circuit is configured to detect replacement of the load based on an output value of the second sensor,
Control device for an aerosol inhaler according to claim 2. The control circuit is the elapsed time until the generation request is detected, the detection of the previous generation request is completed, or the previous supply of the amount of electric power for enabling the load to generate aerosol. Is configured to determine whether the load can be considered to be at the reference temperature at the second timing based on the elapsed time from the end of
Control device for an aerosol inhaler according to any one of claims 1 to 4. Only when the elapsed time is longer than or equal to the time required to cool the load from the temperature at which aerosol can be generated to the temperature at which it can be considered that the load is at the reference temperature, the control circuit causes the load to reach the reference temperature at the second timing. Configured to determine that there is
Control device for an aerosol inhaler according to claim 7. The elapsed time is a predetermined time that is longer than or equal to the time required to cool the load from a temperature at which aerosol can be generated to a temperature that can be considered to be at a reference temperature, and a storage unit that stores the aerosol source or the aerosol source. Only in the case of the predetermined time or more shorter than the time required to cool the load from the temperature that can be reached only when the aerosol source is depleted in the substrate holding the temperature to the temperature that can be considered to be at the reference temperature, the control circuit is And configured to determine that the load can be considered to be at a reference temperature at the second timing.
Control device for an aerosol inhaler according to claim 7. The control circuit is configured to determine that the load can be considered to be at the reference temperature at the second timing only when the elapsed time is 10 seconds or more.
Control device for an aerosol inhaler according to claim 7. A control method for an aerosol inhaler, wherein the control device mounted on the aerosol inhaler comprises:
A first sensor which heats an aerosol source and outputs a value relating to an electric resistance value of a load or an electric resistance value having a correlation between the temperature and the electric resistance value;
A third sensor for outputting a request for generation of aerosol,
A control circuit configured to determine the depletion of the aerosol source or the temperature of the load based on the correlation and the output value of the first sensor, the control circuit comprising:
Acquiring the output value of the first sensor at a plurality of timings including a second timing after the detection of the generation request and before the supply of the amount of electric power capable of generating aerosol to the load,
The step of calibrating the correlation based on one of the output values, wherein when the load can be considered to be at a reference temperature at the second timing, the output value of the first sensor is acquired and the output Calibrating the correlation based on a value. A control method for an aerosol inhaler, wherein the control device mounted on the aerosol inhaler comprises:
A first sensor which heats an aerosol source and outputs a value or an electric resistance value relating to an electric resistance value of a load having a correlation between temperature and electric resistance value;
A third sensor for outputting a request for generation of aerosol,
A control circuit configured to determine the exhaustion of the aerosol source or the temperature of the load based on the correlation and the output value of the first sensor, and the exchange of the load can be detected. ,
The first sensor is provided at a plurality of timings including a first timing that is the time immediately after the replacement and a second timing that is after the generation request is detected and before a power amount capable of generating an aerosol is supplied to the load. To get the output value of
The step of calibrating the correlation based on one of the output values, and if the load cannot be considered to be at a reference temperature at the second timing, the first sensor of the first sensor obtained at the first timing is obtained. Calibrating the correlation based on the output value. A control method for an aerosol inhaler, wherein the control device mounted on the aerosol inhaler comprises:
A first sensor which heats an aerosol source and outputs a value or an electric resistance value relating to an electric resistance value of a load having a correlation between temperature and electric resistance value;
A third sensor for outputting a request for generation of aerosol,
A control circuit configured to determine the depletion of the aerosol source or the temperature of the load based on the correlation and the output value of the first sensor, the control circuit comprising:
Acquiring the output value of the first sensor at a plurality of timings including a second timing after the detection of the generation request and before the supply of the amount of electric power capable of generating aerosol to the load,
Attempting to calibrate the correlation based on one of the output values, if the load cannot be considered to be at a reference temperature at the second timing, the correlation is not calibrated, or the correlation is And a step of calibrating the correlation based on the output value of the first sensor used in the previous calibration of. A control method for an aerosol inhaler, wherein the control device mounted on the aerosol inhaler comprises:
A first sensor which heats an aerosol source and outputs a value or an electric resistance value relating to an electric resistance value of a load having a correlation between temperature and electric resistance value;
A third sensor for outputting a request for generation of aerosol,
A control circuit configured to determine the depletion of the aerosol source or the temperature of the load based on the correlation and the output value of the first sensor, the control circuit comprising:
Acquiring the output value of the first sensor at a plurality of timings including a second timing after the detection of the generation request and before the supply of the amount of electric power capable of generating aerosol to the load,
The step of calibrating the correlation based on one of the output values, wherein the load cannot be considered to be at a reference temperature at the second timing, the first sensor at the second timing before the previous time. Calibrating the correlation based on the output value of the control method. A control method for an aerosol inhaler, wherein the control device mounted on the aerosol inhaler comprises:
A first sensor which heats an aerosol source and outputs a value relating to an electric resistance value of a load or an electric resistance value having a correlation between the temperature and the electric resistance value;
A first circuit including a first switch, which is connected in series between the load and the power supply;
A second circuit connected in parallel to the first circuit, including a known resistor and a second switch, and having a higher electrical resistance value than the first circuit;
A control circuit configured to determine the exhaustion of the aerosol source or the temperature of the load based on the correlation and the output value of the first sensor, and to control the first switch and the second switch. And the control circuit comprises:
Acquiring the output value of the first sensor at a plurality of timings,
Calibrating the correlation on the basis of one of the output values, wherein only the second switch of the first switch and the second switch is acquired while the second switch is on. Calibrating the correlation based on the output value of the first sensor. A first sensor which heats an aerosol source and outputs a value relating to an electric resistance value of a load or an electric resistance value having a correlation between the temperature and the electric resistance value;
A third sensor for outputting a request for generation of aerosol,
A control circuit configured to determine a depletion or shortage of the aerosol source or a temperature of the load based on the correlation and the output value of the first sensor,
The control circuit is
It is possible to perform a calibration capable of reducing an error due to a product tolerance of the correlation, and a calibration capable of reducing an error due to a change with time of the correlation,
After the detection of the generation request and before the supply of the amount of electric power capable of generating aerosol to the load, if it can be considered that the load is at the reference temperature, the output value of the first sensor is acquired and based on the output value. Configured to perform a calibration capable of reducing at least the error due to aging of the correlation,
Control device for aerosol inhalers. A first sensor which heats an aerosol source and outputs a value relating to an electric resistance value of a load or an electric resistance value having a correlation between the temperature and the electric resistance value;
A third sensor for outputting a request for generation of aerosol,
A control circuit configured to determine a depletion or shortage of the aerosol source or a temperature of the load based on the correlation and the output value of the first sensor,
The control circuit is
It is possible to perform a calibration capable of reducing an error due to a product tolerance of the correlation, and a calibration capable of reducing an error due to a change with time of the correlation,
Exchange of the load can be detected,
After detection of the generation request and before supply of the amount of electric power capable of generating aerosol to the load, if the load cannot be considered to be at the reference temperature, the first sensor of the first sensor acquired at the time of or immediately after the replacement is detected. Based on the output value, configured to perform a calibration capable of reducing at least the error due to the product tolerance of the correlation,
Control device for aerosol inhalers. A first sensor which heats an aerosol source and outputs a value or an electric resistance value relating to an electric resistance value of a load having a correlation between temperature and electric resistance value;
A third sensor for outputting a request for generation of aerosol,
A control circuit configured to determine a depletion or shortage of the aerosol source or a temperature of the load based on the correlation and the output value of the first sensor,
The control circuit is
It is possible to perform a calibration capable of reducing an error due to a product tolerance of the correlation, and a calibration capable of reducing an error due to a change with time of the correlation,
If the load cannot be considered to be at the reference temperature after the generation request is detected and before the amount of electric power capable of generating the aerosol is supplied to the load, the calibration is not performed, or the calibration is performed during the previous calibration of the correlation. Based on the output value of the first sensor, which is configured to perform at least a calibration capable of reducing an error due to the temporal change of the correlation,
Control device for aerosol inhalers. A first sensor which heats an aerosol source and outputs a value relating to an electric resistance value of a load or an electric resistance value having a correlation between the temperature and the electric resistance value;
A third sensor for outputting a request for generation of aerosol,
A control circuit configured to determine a depletion or shortage of the aerosol source or a temperature of the load based on the correlation and the output value of the first sensor,
The control circuit is
It is possible to perform a calibration capable of reducing an error due to a product tolerance of the correlation, and a calibration capable of reducing an error due to a change with time of the correlation,
At the timing after the generation request is detected and before the amount of electric power capable of generating aerosol is supplied to the load, if the load cannot be considered to be at the reference temperature, the output value of the first sensor at the timing before the previous time And performing a calibration capable of reducing at least the error due to aging of the correlation,
Control device for aerosol inhalers. A first sensor which heats an aerosol source and outputs a value or an electric resistance value relating to an electric resistance value of a load having a correlation between temperature and electric resistance value;
A first circuit including a first switch, which is connected in series between the load and the power supply;
A second circuit connected in parallel to the first circuit, including a known resistor and a second switch, and having a higher electrical resistance value than the first circuit;
A control circuit configured to determine a depletion or shortage of the aerosol source or a temperature of the load based on the correlation and the output value of the first sensor,
The control circuit is
It is possible to perform a calibration capable of reducing an error due to a product tolerance of the correlation, and a calibration capable of reducing an error due to a change with time of the correlation,
It is possible to control the first switch and the second switch,
It is configured to execute the calibration of the correlation based on the output value of the first sensor acquired while only the second switch of the first switch and the second switch is in the ON state. ,
Control device for aerosol inhalers. A control method for an aerosol inhaler, wherein the control device mounted on the aerosol inhaler comprises:
A first sensor which heats an aerosol source and outputs a value relating to an electric resistance value of a load or an electric resistance value having a correlation between the temperature and the electric resistance value;
A third sensor for outputting a request for generation of aerosol,
A control circuit configured to determine the depletion or shortage of the aerosol source or the temperature of the load based on the correlation and the output value of the first sensor, wherein the control circuit comprises:
A step of performing a calibration capable of reducing at least one of an error due to a product tolerance of the correlation and an error due to a change with time of the correlation, the load having a power amount capable of generating an aerosol after the detection of the generation request. If it can be considered that the load is at the reference temperature before being supplied to the sensor, the output value of the first sensor is acquired, and based on the output value, a calibration capable of reducing at least the error due to the temporal change of the correlation is executed. A control method including steps including steps. A control method for an aerosol inhaler, wherein the control device mounted on the aerosol inhaler comprises:
A first sensor which heats an aerosol source and outputs a value relating to an electric resistance value of a load or an electric resistance value having a correlation between the temperature and the electric resistance value;
A third sensor for outputting a request for generation of aerosol,
A control circuit configured to determine the exhaustion or shortage of the aerosol source or the temperature of the load based on the correlation and the output value of the first sensor and to detect exchange of the load; The circuit
A step of performing a calibration capable of reducing at least one of an error due to a product tolerance of the correlation and an error due to a change with time of the correlation, the load having a power amount capable of generating an aerosol after the detection of the generation request. If the load cannot be considered to be at the reference temperature before being supplied to the device, it is possible to reduce at least the error due to the product tolerance of the correlation based on the output value of the first sensor acquired at the time of or immediately after the replacement. A control method comprising the steps of performing a calibration. A control method for an aerosol inhaler, wherein the control device mounted on the aerosol inhaler comprises:
A first sensor which heats an aerosol source and outputs a value relating to an electric resistance value of a load or an electric resistance value having a correlation between the temperature and the electric resistance value;
A third sensor for outputting a request for generation of aerosol,
A control circuit configured to determine the depletion or shortage of the aerosol source or the temperature of the load based on the correlation and the output value of the first sensor, wherein the control circuit comprises:
A step of attempting to perform a calibration capable of reducing at least one of an error due to a product tolerance of the correlation and an error due to a change in the correlation with time, wherein the amount of electric power capable of generating an aerosol is detected after the generation request is detected. Before the load is supplied, if the load cannot be considered to be at the reference temperature, calibration is not performed, or at least the time of the correlation is elapsed based on the output value of the first sensor used during the previous calibration of the correlation. A control method including a step of performing a calibration capable of reducing an error due to a change. A control method for an aerosol inhaler, wherein the control device mounted on the aerosol inhaler comprises:
A first sensor which heats an aerosol source and outputs a value relating to an electric resistance value of a load or an electric resistance value having a correlation between the temperature and the electric resistance value;
A third sensor for outputting a request for generation of aerosol,
A control circuit configured to determine the depletion or shortage of the aerosol source or the temperature of the load based on the correlation and the output value of the first sensor, wherein the control circuit comprises:
A step of performing a calibration capable of reducing at least one of an error due to a product tolerance of the correlation and an error due to a change with time of the correlation, the load having a power amount capable of generating an aerosol after the detection of the generation request. If the load cannot be considered to be at the reference temperature at the timing before the supply to the sensor, a calibration capable of reducing at least the error due to the change with time of the correlation is performed based on the output value of the first sensor at the timing before the previous time. A control method including steps including executing steps. A program that causes a processor to execute the control method according to any one of claims 11 to 15 and 21 to 24. An aerosol inhaler comprising the control device according to any one of claims 1 to 10 and 16 to 20.

Images