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EP-4736683-A1 - AEROSOL GENERATION DEVICE

EP4736683A1EP 4736683 A1EP4736683 A1EP 4736683A1EP-4736683-A1

Abstract

An aerosol-generating device comprising: a heating unit for heating a substrate containing an aerosol source; a first board connected to the heating unit; a control unit for controlling heating by the heating unit; a second board arranged facing the first board and having the control unit mounted thereon; and an electrically-conductive member which is provided between the first board and the second board and serves for connecting a ground of the first board with a ground of the second board, wherein at least one of the first board, the second board and the electrically-conductive member comprises an elastically deformable part.

Inventors

  • AOYAMA, Tatsunari
  • MINATO, JUNJI
  • UCHIBORI, Tomoya

Assignees

  • Japan Tobacco Inc.

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20230629

Claims (15)

  1. An aerosol-generating device comprising: a heating unit for heating a substrate containing an aerosol source; a first board connected to the heating unit; a control unit for controlling heating by the heating unit; a second board arranged facing the first board and having the control unit mounted thereon; and an electrically-conductive member which is provided between the first board and the second board and serves for connecting a ground of the first board with a ground of the second board, wherein at least one of the first board, the second board and the electrically-conductive member comprises an elastically deformable part.
  2. The aerosol-generating device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrically-conductive member comprises the elastically deformable part.
  3. The aerosol-generating device as claimed in claim 2, wherein a tip-end part of the electrically-conductive member has greater elastic deformability than a part of the electrically-conductive member on a side connected to the first board or to the second board, and deforms so as to contract as a result of being pressed.
  4. The aerosol-generating device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrically-conductive member is provided on the first board.
  5. The aerosol-generating device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrically-conductive member is provided on the second board.
  6. The aerosol-generating device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the first board has a receptacle mounted thereon, a plug being inserted into the receptacle, and an exterior of the receptacle is connected to the ground of the first board.
  7. The aerosol-generating device as claimed in claim 6, wherein the receptacle is a USB connector.
  8. The aerosol-generating device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the electrically-conductive member contacts the exterior of the USB connector.
  9. The aerosol-generating device as claimed in claim 8, wherein the electrically-conductive member contacts a face of the exterior of the USB connector which faces the second board.
  10. The aerosol-generating device as claimed in claim 7, comprising a coupling member which couples the first board and the second board, and is bent so that the USB connector on the first board faces the electrically-conductive member on the second board.
  11. The aerosol-generating device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the coupling member couples a face of the first board on the opposite side to the face on which the USB connector is mounted, and a face of the second board on the opposite side to the face on which the electrically-conductive member is provided.
  12. The aerosol-generating device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the coupling member is connected to one end portion of the first board and to one end portion of the second board.
  13. The aerosol-generating device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the first board has a shape including a long side and a short side, and the second board has a shape including a long side and a short side, and said one end portion of the first board constitutes one end portion on the long side of the first board, and said one end portion of the second board constitutes one end portion on the long side of the second board.
  14. The aerosol-generating device as claimed in claim 7, wherein, on the first board, the USB connector is mounted in a region on said one end portion side, a heater connector for connecting the heating unit is mounted in a region on said other end portion side, and a circuit associated with control of heating performed by the heating unit is mounted in a region closer to the heater connector than to the USB connector.
  15. The aerosol-generating device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the circuit associated with control of heating performed by the heating unit comprises a power source for heating by the heating unit, and a switch.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present disclosure relates to an aerosol-generating device. BACKGROUND ART PTL 1 describes an aerosol-generating device comprising: an aerosol generator; a power supply; a circuit board; and a heat conductive assembly comprising a first end in thermal contact with the circuit board and a second end spaced apart from the circuit board, wherein the circuit board is a first circuit board, wherein the aerosol-generating device further comprises a second circuit board, and wherein the first end of the heat conductive assembly is in thermal contact with the second circuit board; and wherein the second circuit board at least partially overlies the first circuit board, wherein the second circuit board is spaced apart from the first circuit board, and wherein the first end of the heat conductive assembly is positioned between the first circuit board and the second circuit board. CITATION LIST PATENT LITERATURE PTL 1: JP 2022-535831 A SUMMARY OF INVENTION TECHNICAL PROBLEM It is general practice to electrically connect different boards in an aerosol-generating device comprising a plurality of boards, but methods of connection have not been fully investigated. The objective of the present disclosure lies in achieving more reliable electrical connections between different boards in an aerosol-generating device. SOLUTION TO PROBLEM The present disclosure provides an aerosol-generating device comprising: a heating unit for heating a substrate containing an aerosol source; a first board connected to the heating unit; a control unit for controlling heating by the heating unit; a second board arranged facing the first board and having the control unit mounted thereon; and an electrically-conductive member which is provided between the first board and the second board and serves for connecting a ground of the first board with a ground of the second board, wherein at least one of the first board, the second board and the electrically-conductive member comprises an elastically deformable part. The electrically-conductive member of the aerosol-generating device may comprise the elastically deformable part. In that case, a tip-end part of the electrically-conductive member may have greater elastic deformability than a part of the electrically-conductive member on a side connected to the first board or to the second board, and may deform so as to contract as a result of being pressed. The electrically-conductive member may be provided on the first board. The electrically-conductive member may be provided on the second board. In that case, the first board has a receptacle mounted thereon, a plug being inserted into the receptacle, and an exterior of the receptacle is connected to the ground of the first board. In that case, the receptacle may be a USB connector. In that case, the electrically-conductive member may contact the exterior of the USB connector. In that case, the electrically-conductive member may contact a face of the exterior of the USB connector which faces the second board. Furthermore, in that case, the aerosol-generating device may comprise a coupling member which couples the first board and the second board, and is bent so that the USB connector on the first board faces the electrically-conductive member on the second board. In that case, the coupling member may couple a face of the first board on the opposite side to the face on which the USB connector is mounted, and a face of the second board on the opposite side to the face on which the electrically-conductive member is provided. Furthermore, in that case, the coupling member may be connected to one end portion of the first board and to one end portion of the second board. In that case, the first board may have a shape including a long side and a short side, and the second board may have a shape including a long side and a short side, and said one end portion of the first board may constitute one end portion on the long side of the first board, and said one end portion of the second board may constitute one end portion on the long side of the second board. Additionally, in that case, on the first board, the USB connector may be mounted in a region on said one end portion side, a heater connector for connecting the heating unit may be mounted in a region on said other end portion side, and a circuit associated with control of heating performed by the heating unit may be mounted in a region closer to the heater connector than to the USB connector. In that case, the circuit associated with control of heating performed by the heating unit may comprise a power source for heating by the heating unit, and a switch. ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION The present disclosure makes it possible to achieve more reliable electrical connections between different boards in an aerosol-generating device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a diagram in which a front face side of an aerosol-generating device is viewed from diagonally above.Fig. 2 is a dia