CN118251147A

CN118251147A - Control device, suction device, and control method

Info

Publication number: CN118251147A
Application number: CN202180104213.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 岛田有里菜; 加藤正人
Original assignee: Japan Tobacco Inc
Current assignee: Japan Tobacco Inc
Priority date: 2021-12-15
Filing date: 2021-12-15
Publication date: 2024-06-25
Also published as: KR20240090235A; JPWO2023112218A1; WO2023112218A1

Abstract

[ Problem ] to provide a structure capable of further improving the quality of the user's suction experience. [ solution ] A control device is provided with: a control unit that selects, based on suction-related information, which is information on at least one of a state of a user and an environment in which the user sucks aerosol, a heating setting used by a suction device that generates the aerosol sucked by the user by heating a aerosol source based on the heating setting.

Description

Control device, suction device, and control method

Technical Field

The invention relates to a control device, a suction device and a control method.

Background

Suction devices for generating substances sucked by users, such as electronic cigarettes and atomizers (nebulizer), are widely used. For example, the suction device generates an aerosol to which a flavor component is added, using a substrate including an aerosol source for generating an aerosol, a flavor source for adding a flavor component to the generated aerosol, and the like. The user can taste the flavor by sucking the aerosol given the flavor component generated by the suction device. The action of sucking up the aerosol by the user is also referred to hereinafter as a sucking or pumping action.

In recent years, various technologies relating to suction devices have been developed in order to enrich the suction experience of users. For example, patent document 1 discloses a technique in which the temperature at which the suction device heats the substrate can be selected by the user.

Prior art literature

Patent literature

Patent document 1: international publication No. 2019/061906

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, in the technique disclosed in patent document 1, the user needs to take a lot of time to select the temperature at which the suction device heats the substrate.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a structure capable of further improving the quality of the suction experience of a user.

Means for solving the problems

In order to solve the above-described problems, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control device including: a control unit that selects, based on suction-related information, which is information on at least one of a state of a user and an environment in which the user sucks aerosol, a heating setting used by a suction device that generates the aerosol sucked by the user by heating a aerosol source based on the heating setting.

The control unit may select the heating setting corresponding to a predetermined condition satisfied by the suction related information.

The control unit may select the heating setting based on the number of predetermined conditions that are satisfied by the suction related information, among a plurality of predetermined conditions.

The control unit may select the heating setting based on a total value of scores set for the predetermined conditions satisfied by the suction related information, among a plurality of predetermined conditions.

The control unit may select which of the predetermined conditions is used in the selection of the heating setting based on an instruction from the user.

The control unit may select which of the predetermined conditions is used in the selection of the heating setting, based on the suction related information.

The control unit may select the heating setting based on the suction related information acquired periodically.

The control unit may select the heating setting based on the suction related information obtained by triggering the suction device to perform heating based on the heating setting.

The control unit may switch the heating setting used by the suction device during a period when the suction device is not performing heating based on the heating setting.

The control unit may switch the heating setting used by the suction device while the suction device is performing heating based on the heating setting.

The suction-related information about the state of the user may also include: at least one of biometric information of the user, information representing an action performed by the user, information representing an action being performed by the user, or information representing an action intended to be performed by the user.

The suck-up associated information about the environment in which the user sucked up the aerosol may also contain: at least one of information about a date and time, information about a place, information about weather, information about a use state of the suction device, or information about other suction devices existing around the user.

The suction device may generate the aerosol using a substrate including the aerosol source, and the control unit may select the heating setting based on a type of the substrate used by the suction device.

The control unit may select the heating setting from a plurality of heating settings having different at least one of a parameter related to a temperature at which the aerosol source is heated and a parameter related to a time at which the aerosol source is heated.

In order to solve the above-described problems, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a suction device for generating an aerosol sucked by a user by setting a heating aerosol source based on heating, comprising: and a control unit configured to control the heating setting to be selected based on suction-related information, which is information on at least one of a state of the user and an environment in which the aerosol is sucked by the user, and to heat the aerosol source based on the selected heating setting.

In order to solve the above problems, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a control method comprising: the heating setting used by the suction means for generating the aerosol sucked by the user by heating the aerosol source based on the heating setting is selected based on suction-related information, which is information about at least one of a state of the user or an environment in which the user sucks the aerosol.

Effects of the invention

As described above, according to the present invention, a structure is provided that can further improve the quality of the user's suction experience.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic view schematically showing a first structural example of the suction device.

Fig. 2 is a schematic view schematically showing a second structural example of the suction device.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of a system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displayed by the terminal device according to the present embodiment.

Fig. 5 is a timing chart showing an example of the flow of processing performed by the system according to the present embodiment.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present specification and the drawings, constituent elements having substantially the same functional structures are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping descriptions thereof are omitted.

<1 Structural example >

<1.1. Structural example of suction device >

The suction means is a means for generating a substance sucked by a user. Hereinafter, the substance produced by the suction device will be described as an aerosol. In addition, the substance generated by the suction device may also be a gas.

(1) First structural example

Fig. 1 is a schematic view schematically showing a first structural example of the suction device. As shown in fig. 1, a suction device 100A according to this configuration example includes a power supply unit 110, a cartridge (cartridge) 120, and a flavor imparting cartridge 130. The power supply unit 110 includes a power supply unit 111A, a sensor unit 112A, a notification unit 113A, a storage unit 114A, a communication unit 115A, and a control unit 116A. The cartridge 120 includes a heating portion 121A, a liquid guiding portion 122, and a liquid storing portion 123. The flavour imparting cartridge 130 comprises a flavour source 131 and a mouthpiece 124. The cartridge 120 and the flavor imparting cartridge 130 have an air flow path 180 formed therein.

The power supply unit 111A stores electric power. The power supply unit 111A supplies electric power to each constituent element of the suction device 100A based on the control of the control unit 116A. The power supply unit 111A may be configured by a rechargeable battery such as a lithium ion rechargeable battery.

The sensor unit 112A acquires various information about the suction device 100A. As an example, the sensor unit 112A is configured by a pressure sensor such as a condenser microphone, a flow sensor, a temperature sensor, or the like, and obtains a value associated with the suction of the user. As another example, the sensor unit 112A is configured by an input device such as a button or a switch that receives an input of information from a user.

The notification unit 113A notifies the user of information. The notification unit 113A is configured by, for example, a light emitting device that emits light, a display device that displays an image, a sound output device that outputs sound, a vibrating device that vibrates, or the like.

The storage unit 114A stores various information for the operation of the suction device 100A. The storage unit 114A is configured by a nonvolatile storage medium such as a flash memory (flash memory).

The communication unit 115A is a communication interface capable of performing communication conforming to any of wired or wireless communication standards. As the related Communication standard, for example, a standard using Wi-Fi (registered trademark), bluetooth (registered trademark), NFC (NEAR FIELD Communication), LPWA (Low Power Wide Area (low power consumption wide area)), or the like can be employed.

The control unit 116A functions as an arithmetic processing device and a control device, and controls the overall operation of the suction device 100A according to various programs. The control unit 116A is implemented by an electronic circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit (central processing unit)), or a microprocessor.

The liquid storage 123 stores an aerosol source. The aerosol source atomizes to produce an aerosol. The aerosol source is a liquid such as a polyol such as glycerin or propylene glycol, or water. The aerosol source may also contain flavor components from tobacco or non-tobacco. In the case where the suction device 100A is a medical inhaler such as a nebulizer, the aerosol source may contain a drug.

The liquid guide 122 guides and holds the aerosol source, which is the liquid stored in the liquid storage 123, from the liquid storage 123. The liquid guide 122 is a wick (wick) formed by twisting together a fibrous material such as glass fiber or a porous material such as porous ceramic. In this case, the aerosol source stored in the liquid storage 123 is guided by the capillary effect of the wick.

The heating unit 121A heats the aerosol source to atomize the aerosol source, thereby generating an aerosol. In the example shown in fig. 1, the heating portion 121A is configured as a coil, and is wound around the liquid guide portion 122. When the heating unit 121A generates heat, the aerosol source held in the liquid guide unit 122 is heated and atomized, and an aerosol is generated. The heating unit 121A generates heat when power is supplied from the power supply unit 111A. As an example, the sensor 112A may be powered when it detects that the user starts suctioning and/or predetermined information is input. When the sensor unit 112A detects that the user has finished suctioning and/or predetermined information is input, the power supply may be stopped.

The flavor source 131 is a constituent element for imparting a flavor component to the aerosol. The flavor source 131 may also contain flavor components from tobacco or non-tobacco.

The air flow path 180 is a flow path of air sucked by a user. The air flow path 180 has a tubular structure having an air inlet 181, which is an inlet of air into the air flow path 180, and an air outlet 182, which is an outlet of air from the air flow path 180, as both ends. The liquid guide 122 is disposed on the upstream side (side close to the air inflow hole 181) and the fragrance source 131 is disposed on the downstream side (side close to the air outflow hole 182) of the air flow path 180. The air flowing in from the air inflow hole 181 with the suction of the user is mixed with the aerosol generated by the heating portion 121A, and is sent to the air outflow hole 182 by the fragrance source 131 as indicated by an arrow 190. When a mixed fluid of aerosol and air passes through the flavor source 131, the flavor component contained in the flavor source 131 is imparted to the aerosol.

The suction nozzle 124 is a member held by the user at the time of suction. The mouthpiece 124 is provided with an air outflow hole 182. The user draws by holding the mouthpiece 124, and can take the mixed fluid of aerosol and air into the inlet chamber.

The configuration example of the suction device 100A is described above. Of course, the structure of the suction device 100A is not limited to the above, and various structures may be adopted as exemplified below.

As an example, the suction device 100A may not include the flavor imparting cartridge 130. In this case, the cartridge 120 is provided with a mouthpiece 124.

As another example, the suction device 100A may include a plurality of types of aerosol sources. The aerosols of a plurality of types generated from the aerosol sources of a plurality of types are mixed in the air flow path 180 to generate chemical reactions, so that the aerosols of other types can be further generated.

The means for atomizing the aerosol source is not limited to the heating of the heating unit 121A. For example, the means of atomizing the aerosol source may also be vibratory atomization or induction heating.

(2) Second construction example

Fig. 2 is a schematic view schematically showing a second structural example of the suction device. As shown in fig. 2, the suction device 100B according to the present configuration example includes a power supply unit 111B, a sensor unit 112B, a notification unit 113B, a storage unit 114B, a communication unit 115B, a control unit 116B, a heating unit 121B, a holding unit 140, and a heat insulation unit 144.

Each of the power supply unit 111B, the sensor unit 112B, the notification unit 113B, the storage unit 114B, the communication unit 115B, and the control unit 116B is substantially the same as the corresponding constituent element included in the suction device 100A according to the first configuration example.

The holding portion 140 has an internal space 141, and holds the bar-shaped base material 150 while accommodating a part of the bar-shaped base material 150 in the internal space 141. The holding portion 140 has an opening 142 for communicating the internal space 141 with the outside, and holds the rod-shaped base material 150 inserted into the internal space 141 from the opening 142. For example, the holding portion 140 is a cylindrical body having the opening 142 and the bottom 143 as bottom surfaces, and defines a columnar internal space 141. The holding portion 140 is connected to an air flow path for supplying air to the internal space 141. An air inlet opening, i.e., an air inflow hole, which is an inlet opening of air to the air flow path is disposed on the side surface of the suction device 100, for example. An air outflow hole, which is an outlet of air from the air flow path to the internal space 141, is disposed at the bottom 143, for example.

The rod-shaped base material 150 includes a base material portion 151 and a suction port portion 152. The substrate portion 151 contains an aerosol source. In this configuration example, the aerosol source is not limited to a liquid, and may be a solid. In a state where the rod-shaped base material 150 is held by the holding portion 140, at least a part of the base material portion 151 is accommodated in the internal space 141, and at least a part of the suction portion 152 protrudes from the opening 142. When the user suctions the suction portion 152 protruding from the opening 142, air flows into the internal space 141 through an air inflow hole, not shown, and reaches the user's mouth together with the aerosol generated from the base material portion 151.

In the example shown in fig. 2, the heating portion 121B is formed in a thin film (film) shape and is disposed so as to cover the outer periphery of the holding portion 140. When the heating portion 121B generates heat, the substrate portion 151 of the rod-shaped substrate 150 is heated from the outer periphery to generate aerosol.

The heat insulating portion 144 prevents heat transfer from the heating portion 121B to other constituent elements. For example, the heat insulating portion 144 is made of a vacuum heat insulating material, an aerogel heat insulating material, or the like.

The configuration example of suction device 100B is described above. Of course, the structure of the suction device 100 is not limited to the above description, and various structures described below can be adopted.

As an example, the heating portion 121B may be configured in a blade shape, and may be disposed so as to protrude from the bottom 143 of the holding portion 140 into the internal space 141. In this case, the blade-shaped heating portion 121B is inserted into the base material portion 151 of the bar-shaped base material 150, and the base material portion 151 of the bar-shaped base material 150 is heated from the inside. As another example, the heating portion 121B may be disposed so as to cover the bottom portion 143 of the holding portion 140. The heating portion 121B may be a combination of two or more of a first heating portion covering the outer periphery of the holding portion 140, a second heating portion in the form of a blade, and a third heating portion covering the bottom portion 143 of the holding portion 140.

As another example, the holding portion 140 may include an opening and closing mechanism such as a hinge (hinge) that opens and closes a part of the housing that forms the internal space 141. The holding portion 140 may open and close the case to hold the rod-shaped base material 150 inserted into the internal space 141. In this case, the heating portion 121B may be provided at the nip portion of the holding portion 140, and may heat the bar-shaped substrate 150 while pressing the substrate.

The means for atomizing the aerosol source is not limited to heating the heating unit 121B. For example, the means of atomizing the aerosol source may also be induction heating. In this case, suction device 100B has at least an electromagnetic induction source such as a coil that generates a magnetic field, instead of heating unit 121B. A susceptor (heater) that generates heat by induction heating may be provided to the suction device 100B or may be included in the rod-shaped base material 150.

The suction device 100B may further include the heating unit 121A, the liquid guiding unit 122, the liquid storing unit 123, and the air flow path 180 according to the first configuration example, and the air flow path 180 may supply air to the internal space 141. In this case, the mixed fluid of the aerosol generated by the heating unit 121A and the air flows into the internal space 141, and is further mixed with the aerosol generated by the heating unit 121B, and reaches the oral cavity of the user.

(3) Supplement and supplement

In the first configuration example, the power supply unit 110, the cartridge 120, and the flavor imparting cartridge 130 cooperate to generate aerosol sucked by the user. Thus, the combination of the power supply unit 110, the cartridge 120, and the flavour imparting cartridge 130 may also be understood as an aerosol-generating system. Similarly, the suction device 100B according to the second configuration example generates aerosol sucked by the user by cooperating with the rod-shaped base material 150. Thus, the combination of the suction device 100B and the rod-like substrate 150 may also be understood as an aerosol-generating system.

In the case where it is not necessary to particularly distinguish between suction device 100A and suction device 100B, the letter at the end of the symbol is omitted, and they are collectively referred to as suction device 100. Similarly, the constituent elements of the suction device 100A and the constituent elements of the suction device 100B are omitted from the letter at the end of the symbol unless a special distinction is required between them. In addition, the cartridges 120, the flavor imparting cartridges 130, and the stick-type substrate 150 are collectively referred to as a substrate without the need to particularly distinguish them.

<1.2. Structural example of System >

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of the system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 3, the system 1 includes a suction device 100 and a terminal device 200. The structure of the suction device 100 is as described above.

The terminal device 200 is a device used by a user of the suction device 100. For example, the terminal device 200 is configured by an arbitrary information processing device such as a smart phone, a tablet terminal, or a wearable device. Alternatively, the terminal device 200 may be a charger that accommodates the suction device 100 and charges the accommodated suction device 100. As shown in fig. 3, the terminal device 200 includes an input unit 210, an output unit 220, a detection unit 230, a communication unit 240, a storage unit 250, and a control unit 260.

The input unit 210 has a function of receiving input of various information. The input unit 210 may include an input device for receiving information from a user. Examples of the input device include a button, a keyboard, a touch panel, and a microphone. In addition to this, the input unit 210 may include various sensors such as an image sensor.

The output unit 220 has a function of outputting information. The output unit 220 may include an output device for outputting information to a user. Examples of the output device include a display device for displaying information, a light emitting device for emitting light, a vibrating device for vibrating, and a sound output device for outputting sound. An example of a display device is a display. An example of the light emitting device is an LED (LIGHT EMITTING Diode). An example of the vibration device is an eccentric motor. An example of the sound output device is a speaker. The output unit 220 outputs information input from the control unit 260, thereby notifying the user of the information.

The detection unit 230 has a function of detecting information about the terminal device 200. The detection unit 230 may detect the position information of the terminal device 200. For example, the detection unit 230 receives GNSS signals (for example, GPS signals from GPS (Global Positioning System (global positioning system)) satellites) from GNSS (Global Navigation SATELLITE SYSTEM (global navigation satellite system)) satellites) and detects position information including latitude, longitude, and altitude of the device. The detection unit 230 may detect the activity of the terminal device 200. For example, the detection unit 230 includes a gyro sensor and an acceleration sensor, and detects angular velocity and acceleration.

The communication unit 240 is a communication interface for transmitting and receiving information between the terminal device 200 and other devices. The communication unit 240 performs communication conforming to any of wired or wireless communication standards. As the related Communication standard, for example, a standard using USB (Universal Serial Bus (universal serial bus)), wi-Fi (registered trademark), bluetooth (registered trademark), NFC (NEAR FIELD Communication), or LPWA (Low Power Wide Area (low power consumption wide area)) or the like can be employed. For example, the communication unit 240 communicates with the suction device 100.

The storage section 250 stores various information. The storage unit 250 is constituted by a nonvolatile storage medium such as a flash memory.

The control unit 260 functions as an arithmetic processing device or a control device, and controls the overall operation in the terminal device 200 according to various programs. The control unit 260 is implemented by an electronic circuit such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit (central processing unit)), or a microprocessor. The control unit 260 may include a ROM (Read Only Memory) storing a program to be used, calculation parameters, and the like, and a RAM (Random Access Memory (random access Memory) temporarily storing parameters and the like which are suitable for change. The terminal device 200 performs various processes based on the control of the control unit 260. The processing of information input by the input unit 210, the output of information by the output unit 220, the detection of information by the detection unit 230, the transmission and reception of information by the communication unit 240, and the storage and readout of information by the storage unit 250 are examples of the processing controlled by the control unit 260. The control unit 260 also controls other processes to be executed by the terminal device 200, such as input of information on each constituent element and processing based on information output from each constituent element.

The function of the control unit 260 may be realized by an application program. The application may be preloaded or downloaded. The function of the control unit 260 may be implemented by PWA (Progressive Web Apps (progressive web application)).

<2> Technical characteristics

(1) Heating setting

The extraction device 100 heats the aerosol source based on the heating setting, thereby generating an aerosol that is extracted by the user. The heating setting is information defining a control order (sequence) of the heating unit 121. The heating settings may also comprise parameters related to the temperature of the heated aerosol source. In addition, the heating settings may also contain parameters related to the time of heating the aerosol source. An example of the parameter related to the temperature of the heated aerosol source is a target value of the temperature of the heating portion 121 (hereinafter, also referred to as target temperature). Typically, the heating settings are designed in such a way that the flavor that the user tastes when the user draws the aerosol generated from the substrate is optimal. Thus, by generating an aerosol based on the heating setting, the flavor tasted by the user can be optimized.

The heating setting used by the suction device 100A can include information specifying a target temperature and a time period for maintaining the target temperature. In this case, when a user operation indicating the start of heating is detected, suction device 100A can maintain the temperature of heating unit 121A at the target temperature for a predetermined period of time after heating is set.

On the other hand, the heating setting used by the suction device 100B can include information specifying the time-lapse of the target temperature. In this case, suction device 100B can start heating when a user operation indicating the start of heating is detected, so that the temperature of heating unit 121B is shifted in the same manner as the time-series shift of the target temperature specified by the heating setting.

An example of the user operation for instructing the start of heating is an operation for the suction device 100 by operating a switch or the like provided to the suction device 100. An example of a user operation indicating the start of heating is suction. Another example of a user operation indicating the start of heating is to insert a stick-type base material 150 into the suction device 100B. Insertion of the rod-shaped base material 150 into the suction device 100B can be detected by a capacitive proximity sensor that detects the capacitance of the space near the opening 142, a pressure sensor that detects the pressure in the internal space 141, or the like.

The control unit 116 can control the temperature of the heating unit 121 based on the deviation between the current temperature (hereinafter, also referred to as actual temperature) of the heating unit 121 and the target temperature. The temperature control of the heating unit 121 can be realized by, for example, a known feedback control. The feedback control may be, for example, a PID control (Proportional-Integral-DIFFERENTIAL CONTROLLER). The control unit 116 can supply the electric power from the power supply unit 111 to the heating unit 121 by a pulse-width modulation (PWM) or pulse-frequency modulation (PFM) based pulse. In this case, the control unit 116 can control the temperature of the heating unit 121 by adjusting the duty ratio or frequency of the power pulse in the feedback control. Alternatively, the control unit 116 may perform simple on/off control in feedback control. For example, the control unit 116 may perform heating by the heating unit 121 until the actual temperature reaches the target temperature, stop heating by the heating unit 121 when the actual temperature reaches the target temperature, and perform heating again by the heating unit 121 when the actual temperature is lower than the target temperature. In addition, the control unit 116 may adjust the voltage in feedback control.

The temperature of the heating portion 121 can be quantified, for example, by measuring or estimating the resistance value of the heating portion 121 (more precisely, the heat generating resistor constituting the heating portion 121). This is because the resistance value of the heating resistor changes according to the temperature. The resistance value of the heating resistor can be estimated by measuring the voltage drop in the heating resistor, for example. The voltage drop in the heating resistor can be measured by a voltage sensor that measures the potential difference applied to the heating resistor. In another example, the temperature of the heating portion 121 can be measured by a temperature sensor such as a thermistor provided near the heating portion 121.

The parameter included in the heating setting and defining the temperature of the heated aerosol source may be a target value of the resistance value of the heating unit 121, in addition to the target temperature.

(2) Selection of heating settings

The terminal device 200 selects a heating setting used by the suction device 100 based on the suction-related information. The suction-related information refers to information related to at least one of a state of the user or an environment in which the user sucks aerosol (hereinafter also referred to as a suction environment). In particular, the terminal device 200 selects the heating setting used by the suction device 100 automatically, i.e., without being selected by the user, based on the suction-related information. According to the related structure, a heating setting corresponding to the state of the user or the suction environment of the user is automatically selected. Thus, a comfortable take-up experience can be provided to the user that can taste an appropriate aerosol without having to take care of selecting a heating setting.

An example of the suctioning related information will be described below.

The suction-related information related to the state of the user may also contain biological information of the user. The biological information may include information that can be detected by a so-called biosensor, such as pulse, blood pressure, body temperature, blood oxygen saturation, and the number of times of breathing. Such information may be detected by a biosensor mounted on a wearable device such as the suction device 100, the terminal device 200, or a smart watch worn by the user. In addition to this, the biological information may include information obtained by processing information detected by the biosensor, such as a pressure level (STRESS LEVEL) and a relaxation level (relaxation level) estimated from pulse and respiratory times.

The suction-related information regarding the state of the user may also contain information indicating an action performed by the user, or an action scheduled to be performed by the user. The user's actions may be movement, rest, exercise, sleep, or getting up. The user's action can be estimated based on the position information, acceleration, and angular velocity of the terminal device 200, biological information of the user, or the like.

The suction-related information about the suction environment of the user may also contain information about the date and time. The information about the date and time may also include information about the so-called weekday/holiday, week, time period, or early/late, which indicates the characteristics of the date and time. The information about the date and time may include information about the schedule of the user such as during/before/after the event such as a work, a private person, or a meeting. Information on the schedule of the user can be acquired by referring to information registered by the schedule application installed in the terminal apparatus 200.

The suction-related information about the suction environment of the user may also contain information about the location. The location-related information may also include location information of the user. The position information of the user can be detected by the terminal device 200. The information on the location may include information indicating the type of the user's location, such as indoor/outdoor, in-vehicle/out-of-vehicle, or home/workplace/store. Information indicating the type of the user's position can be obtained by combining the user's position information with other information such as map information or the user's moving speed.

The suction-related information about the user's suction environment may also contain information about weather. The weather-related information may include weather such as air temperature, weather such as sunny/rainy/cloudy weather, humidity, and wind speed. The weather-related information may be detected by a sensor mounted on the suction device 100 or the terminal device 200. In addition to this, weather-related information may be acquired from a server or the like on the internet.

The suction-related information about the suction environment of the user may also contain information about the use state of the suction device 100. As information on the use state of the suction device 100, there can be cited the remaining battery level, the frequency of use, the suction interval, and the suction amount of the suction device 100. The frequency of use of the suction device 100 may be the number of use of the stick-type base material 150 or the number of times of suction in the last predetermined time (for example, 10 minutes or until the present time after the suction device 100 is turned ON (ON)). The suction amount may be the suction amount per suction or the total of the suction amounts in the latest predetermined time. Information on the use state of the suction device 100 can be stored in the storage unit 114 each time the suction device 100 is used, and can be appropriately reported to the terminal device 200.

The suction-related information about the suction environment of the user may also contain information about other suction devices 100 present around the user. The information about the other suction devices 100 present around the user may also contain the number, distance or density of the other suction devices 100 present around the user. The information on the other suction devices 100 existing around the user may be obtained by short-range wireless communication between the suction devices 100, or may be obtained from a server that manages the position information of the suction devices 100.

The above describes an example of the suctioning of the related information.

The terminal device 200 selects a heating setting from a plurality of heating settings different from at least one of a parameter related to a temperature of heating the aerosol source and a parameter related to a time of heating the aerosol source. The higher the target temperature, the greater the amount of aerosol and flavor component delivered to the user per puff. Further, the longer the length of time that is maintained at the target temperature, the longer the user tasting the scent. In this regard, according to the related structure, it is possible to provide a suction experience corresponding to the state of the user or the suction environment of the user. Examples of the heating setting include three heating settings including a high heating mode in which the heating temperature (i.e., the target temperature) is high, a normal mode in which the heating temperature is medium, and a low heating mode in which the heating temperature is low.

The terminal device 200 selects a heating setting based on the suction-related information and a predetermined condition (hereinafter also referred to as a selection condition).

As an example, the terminal device 200 may select a heating setting corresponding to a selection condition satisfied by the suction related information. In this case, the selection condition corresponds to a heating setting to be selected when the selection condition is satisfied. As an example, the first selection condition may be associated with a high heating mode, the second selection condition may be associated with a normal mode, and the third selection condition may be associated with a low heating mode. In this case, the terminal apparatus 200 selects the high heating mode when the first selection condition is satisfied, selects the normal mode when the second selection condition is satisfied, and selects the low heating mode when the third selection condition is satisfied.

The terminal device 200 may select which one of a plurality of selection conditions is used in the selection of the heating setting based on an instruction from the user. For example, each of the plurality of selection conditions is validated or invalidated by the user. The effective selection conditions are used for selecting the heating settings. The user instruction can be acquired via a display screen displayed on the terminal device 200. An example of the display screen will be described with reference to fig. 4.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a display screen displayed by the terminal device 200 according to the present embodiment. The display screen 10 shown in fig. 4 displays selection conditions 11A to 11C corresponding to the high heating mode, and switches 12A to 12C for selecting the activation (ON)/deactivation (OFF) of the selection conditions 11A to 11C. The user can activate (ON)/deactivate the selection conditions 11A to 11C by selecting the switches 12A to 12C ON the display screen 10. In the example shown in fig. 4, the selection conditions 11A and 11B are activated, and the selection condition 11C is deactivated.

In the case where the user has just come up as shown by the suction-related information, "wake-up smoking" shown by the selection condition 11A is satisfied. That is, when the selection condition 11A is activated, the high heating mode is selected immediately after the user gets up. In the case where the suction-related information shows that the pressure level is high, the "pressure-great smoking" shown in the selection condition 11B is satisfied. That is, when the selection condition 11B is activated, the high heating mode is selected if the pressure level is equal to or higher than the predetermined value. In the case where the suction device 100 is initially used after the user returns home as shown by the suction related information, the "initially smoking after returning home" shown by the selection condition 11C is satisfied. That is, when the selection condition 11C is activated, the high heating mode is selected when the suction device 100 is first used after the user returns home. The selection conditions 11A to 11C may be OR (OR) conditions for selecting the high heating mode. In this case, the high heating mode is selected when one or more of the activated selection conditions are satisfied, and the normal mode is selected when one of the activated selection conditions is not satisfied. The user can enjoy a comfortable suction experience by activating/deactivating these selection conditions 11A to 11C according to preference.

Of course, the correspondence between the selection conditions and the heating settings is not limited to the examples described above. Table 1 below shows another example.

TABLE 1

TABLE 1 example of selection conditions corresponding to the high heating mode and the normal mode

Table 1 shows an example of the selection conditions corresponding to each of the high heating mode and the normal mode. According to the example shown in table 1, the high heating mode can be selected in the morning or during the daytime, and the normal mode can be selected in the evening or at night. Further, the high heating mode can be selected when the number of other suction devices 100 existing around the suction device 100 is large, and the normal mode can be selected when it is small. In table 1, the example in which one selection condition corresponds to one heating setting is described, but a plurality of selection conditions may correspond to one heating setting. For example, the selection condition regarding the time period and the selection condition regarding the air temperature may be combined, and the high heating mode may be selected in the case where the time period in the morning is less than 25 ℃. On the other hand, the low heating mode is selected in the evening or night time zone or at 20 ℃ or higher.

The terminal device 200 may select the heating setting based on the periodically acquired suction related information. For example, the suction related information may be acquired for a predetermined period of time. According to the related configuration, the terminal device 200 can track the state of the user or the suction environment of the user at any time and select the heating setting. That is, the terminal device 200 may select the heating setting based on the time-lapse of the suction related information. This enables selection of a heating setting suitable for a user's state or a change in the suction environment of the user.

The pulse and the blood pressure may be acquired at different periods, or the like, and the acquisition period may be different for each piece of information constituting the suction-related information. The acquisition cycle may be different from the information acquired by the suction device 100, the information acquired by the terminal device 200, and the information acquired from the outside such as a server on the internet.

The terminal device 200 causes the suction device 100 to use the selected heating setting. For example, the terminal device 200 transmits information indicating the selected heating setting to the suction device 100. The extraction device 100 stores the heating settings indicated by the received information, after which the aerosol source is heated based on the stored heating settings.

The terminal device 200 may switch the heating setting used by the suction device 100 during a period when the suction device 100 is not performing heating based on the heating setting. For example, the terminal device 200 may transmit information indicating the selected heating setting to the suction device 100 while the suction device 100 is not performing heating based on the heating setting. The suction device 100 stores a heating setting indicated by the received information, and heats the aerosol source based on the new heating setting from the next time. According to the related structure, the processing load of the suction device 100 can be reduced as compared with the case where the heating setting used for the suction device 100 is switched in the case where the suction device 100 performs heating based on the heating setting.

(3) Flow of processing

Fig. 5 is a timing chart showing an example of the flow of processing performed by the system 1 according to the present embodiment. The present sequence relates to the suction device 100 and the terminal device 200.

As shown in fig. 5, first, the suction device 100 acquires suction-related information (step S102). For example, the suction device 100 detects biological information from either a finger of a user holding the suction device 100 or reads out information on the use history of the suction device 100 from the storage section 114.

Next, the suction device 100 transmits the suction-related information acquired in step S102 to the terminal device 200 (step S104).

Next, the terminal device 200 acquires the suction-related information (step S106). For example, the terminal device 200 acquires information on the date and time by referring to information registered in the schedule application, acquires information on the scene owner based on the position information, or acquires information on the weather from a server on the internet.

Next, the terminal device 200 selects a heating setting based on the selection condition satisfied by the suction-related information received in step S104 or acquired in step S106 (step S108). For example, if the selection condition corresponding to the high heating mode is satisfied, the terminal device 200 selects the high heating mode, and if not, selects the normal mode.

Next, the terminal device 200 transmits information indicating the selected heating setting (step S110).

Then, the suction device 100 heats the aerosol source based on the received heating setting (step S112). For example, the suction device 100 stores the heating setting shown by the information received at step S110. Further, when a user operation is performed to instruct the start of heating, the suction device 100 sets the heating aerosol source based on the stored heating.

< 3> Modification example

(1) First modification example

The terminal device 200 may select the heating setting based on the number of selection conditions satisfied by the suction-related information among the plurality of selection conditions. For example, the terminal device 200 selects the heating setting based on the number of selection conditions satisfied by the suction-related information among the selection conditions corresponding to the high heating mode shown in table 1. An example of the correspondence relationship between the number of selection conditions satisfied by the suction-related information and the heating setting is shown in table 2 below.

TABLE 2

TABLE 2 example of correspondence between the number of selection conditions satisfied by the suction related information and the heating setting

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According to the example shown in table 2, the terminal device 200 selects the high heating mode if the number of selection conditions satisfied by the suction-related information among the selection conditions corresponding to the high heating modes shown in table 1 is 6 or more, the terminal device 200 selects the normal mode if 2 to 5, and the terminal device 200 selects the low heating mode if 1 or less. In table 2, an example of the relationship between the number of selection conditions satisfied by the suction related information and the heating setting may be set by the user.

(2) Second modification example

The terminal device 200 may select the heating setting based on a total value of scores (score) set for selection conditions satisfied by the suctioned related information among the plurality of selection conditions. Table 3 below shows an example of the score set for the selection condition. Table 4 shows an example of heating settings corresponding to the total value of the scores.

TABLE 3

TABLE 3 example of scores set for selection conditions

TABLE 4

TABLE 4 example of heating settings corresponding to the total value of the scores

	High heating mode	Normal mode	Low heating mode
				Total value of score	30 Or more	10～29	Below 9

According to the examples shown in table 3 and table 4, if the total value of the scores set for the selection conditions satisfied by the suction related information is 30 or more, the terminal device 200 selects the high heating mode, if it is 10 to 29, the normal mode, and if it is 9 or less, the low heating mode. The score set for the selection condition, which is an example shown in table 3, may be set by the user. The heating setting corresponding to the total value of the scores shown in table 4 may be set by the user.

(3) Third modification example

The terminal device 200 may select the heating setting based on the suction related information acquired by triggering the suction device 100 to perform heating based on the heating setting. For example, the suction related information may be acquired by triggering a user operation for instructing the start of heating. Here, the suction related information may be acquired during a period from when the user operation for instructing the start of heating is performed to when the heating is actually started. The suction device 100 may start heating using a heating setting selected based on the acquired suction related information. According to the related configuration, a heating setting suitable for the state of the user immediately before heating or the suction environment of the user can be selected.

(4) Fourth modification example

The terminal device 200 may switch the heating setting used by the suction device 100 while the suction device 100 is performing heating based on the heating setting. For example, the terminal device 200 may transmit information indicating the selected heating setting to the suction device 100 while the suction device 100 is performing heating based on the heating setting. The suction device 100 may store the heating setting indicated by the received information, and switch to a new heating setting during heating. According to the related configuration, even during heating, a heating setting suitable for the user can be immediately applied.

(5) Fifth modification example

The terminal device 200 may further select the heating setting based on the type of the substrate used for the suction device 100. The types of base materials used for the suction device 100A according to the first configuration example are brands of the cartridges 120 and the flavor imparting cartridges 130 mounted on the power supply unit 110. The type of substrate used for the suction device 100B according to the second configuration example is a brand of the stick-type substrate 150 inserted into the suction device 100B. The type of the substrate can be recognized by recognizing the appearance of the substrate by an image, such as the color of the substrate or a two-dimensional code such as a bar code to which the substrate is attached. As an example, the terminal device 200 may switch the selection conditions used for selecting the heating setting based on the type of the substrate used for the suction device 100. As another example, when the high heating mode is selected, the terminal device 200 may select a heating setting corresponding to the type of the substrate used in the suction device 100 from a plurality of heating settings belonging to the high heating mode. Considering that appropriate heating settings can be different for each type of substrate, the quality of the suction experience of the user can be further improved according to the related structure.

(6) Sixth modification example

The terminal device 200 may select which one of a plurality of selection conditions is used in the selection of the heating setting based on the suction-related information. As an example, the selection conditions used for selecting the heating setting in the morning or daytime and the selection conditions used for selecting the heating setting in the evening or night may be different. According to the related configuration, the user can reduce the effort of the user compared with the case where the user selects which one of the plurality of selection conditions is used for the selection of the heating setting.

<4. Supplement >

While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the related examples. It is to be understood that various modifications and corrections can be obviously conceived by a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims, and these naturally fall within the scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the example in which the terminal device 200 functions as the control device for selecting the heating setting has been described, but the present invention is not limited to the related example. As an example, the suction device 100 may function as a control device for selecting the heating setting. In this case, the suction device 100 can select the heating setting based on the suction related information acquired by the suction device 100 itself. Of course, the suction device 100 may also or instead select the heating setting based on the suction related information received from the terminal device 200, together with the suction related information acquired by the suction device 100 itself. The suction device 100 may receive the suction-related information acquired by a server on the internet directly from the server or indirectly via the terminal device 200. As another example, an external device such as a server on the internet may also function as a control device for selecting the heating setting.

The series of processes of each device described in this specification may be implemented using any one of software, hardware, and a combination of software and hardware. Programs constituting the software are stored in advance in a recording medium (in detail, a non-transitory storage medium readable by a computer) provided inside or outside each device, for example. Each program is read into the RAM and executed by a processing circuit such as a CPU when executed by a computer that controls each device described in the present specification, for example. The recording medium is, for example, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a flash memory, or the like. The computer program may be distributed via a network, for example, without using a recording medium. The computer may be an integrated circuit for a specific application such as an ASIC, a general-purpose processor that executes a function by reading a software program, a computer on a server used for cloud computing, or the like. In addition, a series of processes of each device described in the present specification may be distributed by a plurality of calculators.

In addition, the processes described in this specification using the flowcharts and the timing charts may not necessarily be executed in the order illustrated. Some of the process steps may also be performed in parallel. Further, additional processing steps may be employed, or some of the processing steps may be omitted.

The following structures are also within the technical scope of the present invention.

(1)

A control device is provided with:

A control unit that selects, based on suction-related information, which is information on at least one of a state of a user and an environment in which the user sucks aerosol, a heating setting used by a suction device that generates the aerosol sucked by the user by heating a aerosol source based on the heating setting.

(2)

The control device according to the above (1),

The control unit selects the heating setting corresponding to a predetermined condition satisfied by the suction related information.

(3)

The control device according to the above (1),

The control unit selects the heating setting based on the number of predetermined conditions that the suction-related information satisfies among a plurality of predetermined conditions.

(4)

The control device according to the above (1),

The control unit selects the heating setting based on a total value of scores set for the predetermined conditions satisfied by the suction related information, among a plurality of predetermined conditions.

(5)

The control device according to any one of the above (2) to (4),

The control unit selects which of the predetermined conditions is used in the selection of the heating setting based on an instruction from the user.

(6)

The control device according to any one of the above (2) to (4),

The control unit selects, based on the suction-related information, which of the predetermined conditions is used in the selection of the heating setting.

(7)

The control device according to any one of the above (1) to (6),

The control unit selects the heating setting based on the suction related information acquired periodically.

(8)

The control device according to any one of the above (1) to (6),

The control unit selects the heating setting based on the suction related information obtained by triggering the suction device to perform heating based on the heating setting.

(9)

The control device according to any one of the above (1) to (8),

The control section switches the heating setting used by the suction device during a period in which the suction device is not performing heating based on the heating setting.

(10)

The control device according to any one of the above (1) to (8),

The control unit switches the heating setting used by the suction device while the suction device is performing heating based on the heating setting.

(11)

The control device according to any one of the above (1) to (10),

The suction-related information related to the state of the user includes at least one of biological information of the user, information indicating an action performed by the user, information indicating an action being performed by the user, or information indicating an action scheduled to be performed by the user.

(12)

The control device according to any one of the above (1) to (11),

The suction-related information about the environment in which the user sucks the aerosol includes at least one of information about a date and time, information about a place, information about weather, information about a use history of the suction device, or information about other suction devices existing around the user.

(13)

The control device according to any one of the above (1) to (12),

The suction device generates the aerosol using a substrate containing the aerosol source,

The control unit selects the heating setting based on the type of the substrate used by the suction device.

(14)

The control device according to any one of the above (1) to (13),

The control unit selects the heating setting from a plurality of heating settings different from at least one of a parameter related to a temperature at which the aerosol source is heated and a parameter related to a time at which the aerosol source is heated.

(15)

The suction device for generating aerosol sucked by a user by setting a heating aerosol source based on heating is provided with:

And a control unit configured to control the heating setting to be selected based on suction-related information, which is information on at least one of a state of the user and an environment in which the aerosol is sucked by the user, and to heat the aerosol source based on the selected heating setting.

(16)

The control method comprises the following steps:

The heating setting used by the suction means for generating the aerosol sucked by the user by heating the aerosol source based on the heating setting is selected based on suction-related information, which is information about at least one of a state of the user or an environment in which the user sucks the aerosol.

Description of the reference numerals

The device comprises a system 1, a suction device 100, a power supply unit 110, a power supply unit 111, a sensor unit 112, a notification unit 113, a storage unit 114, a communication unit 115, a control unit 116, a cartridge 120, a heating unit 121, a liquid guiding unit 122, a liquid storage unit 123, a suction nozzle 124, a fragrance giving cartridge 130, a fragrance source 131, a holding unit 140, an internal space 141, an opening 142, a bottom 143, a heat insulating unit 144, a stick-like substrate 150, a substrate unit 151, a suction unit 152, an air flow path 180, an air inflow hole 181, an air outflow hole 182, a terminal unit 200, an input unit 210, an output unit 220, a detection unit 230, a communication unit 240, a storage unit 250 and a control unit 260.

Claims

1. A control device is provided with:

2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein,

3. The control device according to claim 1, wherein,

4. The control device according to claim 1, wherein,

5. The control device according to any one of claim 2 to 4, wherein,

6. The control device according to any one of claim 2 to 4, wherein,

7. The control device according to any one of claim 1 to 6, wherein,

8. The control device according to any one of claim 1 to 6, wherein,

9. The control device according to any one of claim 1 to 8, wherein,

10. The control device according to any one of claim 1 to 8, wherein,

11. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein,

The suction-related information about the state of the user includes: at least one of biometric information of the user, information representing an action performed by the user, information representing an action being performed by the user, or information representing an action intended to be performed by the user.

12. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein,

The extraction-related information about the environment in which the user extracted the aerosol includes: at least one of information about a date and time, information about a place, information about weather, information about a use state of the suction device, or information about other suction devices existing around the user.

13. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein,

14. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein,

15. A suction device for generating aerosol sucked by a user by setting a heating aerosol source based on heating, comprising:

16. A control method, comprising: