CAPSULE MONITORING SYSTEM FOR AN AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICE, AND METHOD OF DETECTING A BASELINE RESISTANCE OF A HEATER OF A CAPSULE FOR AN AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICE

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001]This application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/726,947 filed on Dec. 2, 2024, the contents of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002]At least some example embodiments relate to heated tobacco aerosol-generating devices and more particularly, but without limitation, to a capsule monitoring system configured to predict a baseline resistance of a consumable, a heated tobacco aerosol-generating device including same, and/or a method of detecting a baseline resistance of a heater of a capsule for an aerosol-generating device.

BACKGROUND

[0003]Some electronic devices are configured to heat a plant material to a temperature that is sufficient to release constituents of the plant material while keeping the temperature below a combustion point of the plant material so as to avoid any substantial pyrolysis of the plant material. Such devices may be referred to as aerosol-generating devices (e.g., heated tobacco aerosol-generating devices), and the plant material heated may be tobacco and/or cannabis. In some instances, the plant material may be introduced directly into a heating chamber of an aerosol generating device. In other instances, the plant material may be pre-packaged in individual containers to facilitate insertion and removal from an aerosol-generating device.

SUMMARY

[0004]Systems, apparatuses, and methods for control systems for aerosol-generating devices are set forth in the appended claims. Illustrative embodiments are also provided to enable a person skilled in the art to make and use the claimed subject matter.

[0005]At least one example embodiment relates to a capsule monitoring system for an aerosol-generating device. The capsule monitoring system includes at least one processor and a memory coupled to the at least one processor and storing instructions. The at least one processor is configured to execute the instructions to cause the capsule monitoring system to detect whether a capsule is a warm capsule, the warm capsule being a capsule having attributes associated with a previous use of the capsule, and selectively store a detected resistance of a heater as a baseline resistance for the capsule based on whether the capsule is detected as being the warm capsule.

[0006]In some example embodiments, the heater is within the capsule, and the capsule is one of a plurality of capsules insertable into the aerosol-generating device each having a respective one of a plurality of baseline resistances associated therewith.

[0007]In some example embodiments, a detected resistance of the warm capsule is higher than the detected resistance of a same capsule at a room temperature.

[0008]In some example embodiments, the at least one processor is configured to execute the instructions to cause the capsule monitoring system to detect whether the capsule is the warm capsule by, determining whether a countdown timer associated with a first session is expired, and detecting that the capsule is not the warm capsule during a second session subsequent to the first session, in response to determining that the countdown timer is expired.

[0009]In some example embodiments, the at least one processor is configured to detect an end of the first session, and activate the countdown timer associated with the first session, in response to detecting the end of the first session.

[0010]In some example embodiments, the at least one processor is further configured to store a heat duration and an amount of energy N input into the capsule during the first session, in response to detecting the end of the first session.

[0011]In some example embodiments, the at least one processor is configured to execute the instructions to cause the capsule monitoring system to further detect whether the capsule is the warm capsule by, in response to determining that the countdown timer is not expired, predicting an expected resistance range of the warm capsule, comparing the detected resistance of the heater to the expected resistance range of the warm capsule, and detecting whether the capsule is the warm capsule, based on a result of the comparing.

[0012]In some example embodiments, the at least one processor is configured to reject the capsule, in response to detecting that the capsule is the warm capsule.

[0013]In some example embodiments, the at least one processor is configured to execute the instructions to cause the capsule monitoring system to predict the expected resistance range of the warm capsule by, selecting a resistance model from among a plurality of resistance models based on criteria associated with the first session, and predicting the expected resistance range of the warm capsule using the selected resistance model.

[0014]In some example embodiments, the criteria includes one or more of a length of the first session or a fault of the capsule.

[0015]In some example embodiments, the at least one processor is configured to execute the instructions to cause the capsule monitoring system to predict the expected resistance range of the warm capsule by, determining whether the length of the first session is less than a session length threshold, selecting a first resistance model from among the plurality of resistance models, in response to the length of the first session being less than the session length threshold, and selecting a second resistance model from among the plurality of resistance models, in response to the length of the first session being greater than or equal to the session length threshold.

[0016]In some example embodiments, the expected resistance range of the warm capsule predicted by the second resistance model varies based on an amount of energy N input into the capsule.

[0017]In some example embodiments, the first resistance model models a resistance delta ΔR between the baseline resistance and the detected resistance based on:

[0019]In some example embodiments, the second resistance model models a resistance delta ΔR between the baseline resistance and the detected resistance based on:

[0021]In some example embodiments, the capsule monitoring system further includes a sensor configured to detect at least one puff.

[0022]In some example embodiments, the at least one processor is configured to, determine whether the capsule is inserted into the aerosol-generating device, and detect the detected resistance in response to determining that the capsule is inserted into the aerosol-generating device.

[0023]In some example embodiments, the capsule monitoring system further includes a mechanism detection switch configured to be actuated when a lid of the aerosol-generating device is closed, wherein the at least one processor is configured to detect whether the capsule is inserted based on actuation of the mechanism detection switch.

[0024]In some example embodiments, the lid is configured to secure the capsule within the aerosol-generating device.

[0025]In some example embodiments, the at least one processor is configured to perform a preheat operation by, reading the baseline resistance from the memory, detecting the detected resistance of the heater while supplying a power to the heater, calculating a delta between the baseline resistance and the detected resistance, and determining whether the heater has reached a preheat temperature based on the delta.

[0026]In some example embodiments, the at least one processor is configured to adjust the power supplied to the heater by changing at least one of a proportional term, an integral term, and a derivative term of a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller.

[0027]In some example embodiments, the at least one processor is further configured to, determine whether the detected resistance at a room temperature is within an acceptable resistance range set for the capsule, and perform the preheat operation based on the detected resistance and the baseline resistance, in response to the detected resistance at the room temperature being within the acceptable resistance range.

[0028]In some example embodiments, the at least one processor is further configured to reject the capsule, in response to the detected resistance at the room temperature being outside the acceptable resistance range.

[0029]One or more example embodiments provide a method of detecting a baseline resistance of a heater of a capsule for an aerosol-generating device.

[0030]In some example embodiments, the method includes detecting whether the capsule is a warm capsule, the warm capsule being a capsule having attributes associated with a previous use of the capsule; and selectively storing a detected resistance of the heater as the baseline resistance for the capsule based on whether the capsule is detected as being the warm capsule.

[0031]In some example embodiments, the heater is within the capsule, and the capsule is one of a plurality of capsules insertable into the aerosol-generating device each having a respective one of a plurality of baseline resistances associated therewith.

[0032]In some example embodiments, a detected resistance of the warm capsule is a higher than the detected resistance of a same capsule at a room temperature.

[0033]In some example embodiments, the detecting whether the capsule is the warm capsule includes determining whether a countdown timer associated with a first session is expired; and detecting that the capsule is not the warm capsule during a second session subsequent to the first session, in response to determining that the countdown timer is expired.

[0034]In some example embodiments, the method further includes detecting an end of the first session; and activating the countdown timer associated with the first session, in response to detecting the end of the first session.

[0035]In some example embodiments, the method further includes storing a heat duration and an amount of energy N input into the capsule during the first session, in response to detecting the end of the first session.

[0036]In some example embodiments, the detecting whether the capsule is the warm capsule further includes predicting an expected resistance range of the warm capsule, in response to determining that the countdown timer is not expired; comparing the detected resistance of the heater to the expected resistance range of the warm capsule; and detecting whether the capsule is the warm capsule, based on a result of the comparing.

[0037]In some example embodiments, the method further includes rejecting the capsule, in response to detecting that the capsule is the warm capsule.

[0038]In some example embodiments, the predicting the expected resistance range of the warm capsule includes selecting a resistance model from among a plurality of resistance models based on a criteria associated with the first session; and predicting the expected resistance range of the warm capsule using the selected resistance model.

[0039]In some example embodiments, the criteria includes one or more of a length of the first session or a fault of the capsule.

[0040]In some example embodiments, the predicting the expected resistance range of the warm capsule further includes determining whether the length of the first session is less than a session length threshold, selecting a first resistance model from among the plurality of resistance models, in response to the length of the first session being less than the session length threshold, and selecting a second resistance model from among the plurality of resistance models, in response to the length of the first session being greater than or equal to the session length threshold.

[0041]In some example embodiments, the expected resistance range of the warm capsule predicted by the second resistance model varies based on an amount of energy N input into the capsule.

[0042]In some example embodiments, the first resistance model models a resistance delta ΔR between the baseline resistance and the detected resistance based on:

[0044]In some example embodiments, the second resistance model models a resistance delta ΔR between the baseline resistance and the detected resistance based on:

[0046]In some example embodiments, the method further includes detecting, via a sensor, at least one puff.

[0047]In some example embodiments, the method further includes determining whether the capsule is inserted into the aerosol-generating device; and detecting the detected resistance in response to determining that the capsule is inserted into the aerosol-generating device.

[0048]In some example embodiments, the method further includes detecting whether the capsule is inserted based on actuation of a mechanism detection switch when a lid of the aerosol-generating device is closed.

[0049]In some example embodiments, the lid is configured to secure the capsule within the aerosol-generating device.

[0050]In some example embodiments, the method further includes performing a preheat operation by, reading the baseline resistance from a memory, detecting the detected resistance of the heater while supplying a power to the heater, calculating a delta between the baseline resistance and the detected resistance, and determining whether the heater has reached a preheat temperature based on the delta.

[0051]In some example embodiments, the method further includes adjusting the power supplied to the heater by changing at least one of a proportional term, an integral term, and a derivative term of a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller.

[0052]In some example embodiments, the method further includes determining whether the detected resistance at a room temperature is within an acceptable resistance range set for the capsule; and performing the preheat operation based on the detected resistance and the baseline resistance, in response to the detected resistance at the room temperature being within the acceptable resistance range.

[0053]In some example embodiments, the method further includes rejecting the capsule, in response to the detected resistance at the room temperature being outside the acceptable resistance range.

[0054]One or more example embodiments provide an aerosol-generating device.

[0055]In some example embodiments, the aerosol-generating device includes a capsule including a housing containing an aerosol-forming substrate; a heater configured to heat the aerosol-forming substrate; a mouthpiece configured to deliver an aerosol; and a capsule monitoring system including, at least one processor, and a memory coupled to the at least one processor and storing instructions, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the instructions to cause the capsule monitoring system to, detect whether the capsule is a warm capsule, the warm capsule being a capsule having attributes associated with a previous use of the capsule, and selectively store a detected resistance of the heater as a baseline resistance for the capsule based on whether the capsule is detected as being the warm capsule.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0056]The various features and advantages of the non-limiting embodiments herein may become more apparent upon review of the detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings are merely provided for illustrative purposes and should not be interpreted to limit the scope of the claims. The accompanying drawings are not to be considered as drawn to scale unless explicitly noted. For purposes of clarity, various dimensions of the drawings may have been exaggerated.

[0057]FIG. 1 is a top right, front perspective view of a device in accordance with example embodiments.

[0058]FIG. 2A is a top right, front perspective view of the device of FIG. 1, where the lid is opened and where the device includes a capsule.

[0059]FIG. 2B is a bottom right, front perspective view of the device of FIG. 1.

[0060]FIG. 2C is a bottom view of the device of FIG. 1.

[0061]FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a capsule monitoring system in accordance with example embodiments.

[0062]FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of a heating system in accordance with example embodiments.

[0063]FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method of operating a capsule monitoring system in accordance with example embodiments.

[0064]FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a method of operating a heater of a capsule in accordance with example embodiments.

[0065]FIG. 7 illustrates a graph of the curve of a first resistance model alongside the acceptable upper and lower ranges from this curve according to example embodiments.

[0066]FIG. 8 illustrates a graph showing that the session lengths of the previous session impacts the resistance cooldown curve.

[0067]FIG. 9 illustrates a graph of the curves of a second resistance model for the different session lengths according to example embodiments.

[0068]FIG. 10 illustrates plots of the second resistance model against the measured resistance values of different capsules over different session lengths according to example embodiments.

[0069]FIG. 11 illustrates a graph showing the second cooldown model applied to different session lengths plotted against the first cooldown model according to example embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0070]Some detailed example embodiments are disclosed herein. However, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are merely representative for purposes of describing example embodiments. Example embodiments may, however, be embodied in many alternate forms and should not be construed as limited to only the example embodiments set forth herein.

[0071]Accordingly, while example embodiments are capable of various modifications and alternative forms, example embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intent to limit example embodiments to the particular forms disclosed, but to the contrary, example embodiments are to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of example embodiments. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout the description of the figures.

[0072]It should be understood that when an element or layer is referred to as being “on,” “connected to,” “coupled to,” or “covering” another element or layer, it may be directly on, connected to, coupled to, or covering the other element or layer or intervening elements or layers may be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directly on,” “directly connected to,” or “directly coupled to” another element or layer, there are no intervening elements or layers present. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0073]It should be understood that, although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, regions, layers, and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, region, layer, or section from another region, layer, or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer, or section discussed below could be termed a second element, region, layer, or section without departing from the teachings of example embodiments.

[0074]Spatially relative terms (e.g., “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like) may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. It should be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below”, or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the term “below” may encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

[0075]The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing various example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “includes,” “including,” “comprises,” and/or “comprising,” specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, and/or elements, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or groups thereof.

[0076]When the terms “about” or “substantially” are used in this specification in connection with a numerical value, it is intended that the associated numerical value includes a manufacturing or operational tolerance (e.g., ±10%) around the stated numerical value. Moreover, when the terms “generally” or “substantially” are used in connection with geometric shapes, it is intended that precision of the geometric shape is not required but that latitude for the shape is within the scope of the disclosure. Furthermore, regardless of whether numerical values or shapes are modified as “about,” “generally,” or “substantially,” it will be understood that these values and shapes should be construed as including a manufacturing or operational tolerance (e.g., ±10%) around the stated numerical values or shapes.

[0077]Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which example embodiments belong. It will be further understood that terms, including those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

[0078]As used herein, “coupled” includes both removably coupled and permanently coupled. For example, when an elastic layer and a support layer are removably coupled to one another, the elastic layer and the support layer can be separated upon the application of sufficient force.

[0079]Hardware may be implemented using processing or control circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more processors, one or more Central Processing Units (CPUs), one or more microcontrollers, one or more arithmetic logic units (ALUs), one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), one or more microcomputers, one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), one or more System-on-Chips (SoCs), one or more programmable logic units (PLUs), one or more microprocessors, one or more Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), or any other device or devices capable of responding to and executing instructions in a defined manner.

[0080]One or more example embodiments may be described herein, in at least some instances, as being performed by a capsule monitoring system of an aerosol-generating device including at least one processor and a memory storing computer-executable instructions, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer-readable instructions to cause the capsule monitoring system to perform operations of one or more example embodiments. Additionally, the processor, memory and example algorithms, encoded as computer program code, may serve as means for providing or causing performance of operations discussed herein.

[0081]FIGS. 1, 2A, 2B, and 2C illustrate a device 100 according to some example embodiments. In some example embodiments, the device 100 may be an aerosol-generating device.

[0082]Referring to FIG. 1, a top perspective view of the device 100 is shown. In some example embodiments, a main body of the device 100 may have a general oblong or pebble shape. The main body of the device 100 may include a housing 102 and a lid mechanism or a lid 104. The housing 102 may have a first end 106 and a second end 108 opposite the first end 106. The lid may have a first end 110 and a second end 112 opposite the first end 110. The first end 110 of the lid 104 may be fixedly coupled to the second end 108 of the housing 102 at a first point 114 and releasably coupled to the second end 108 of the housing 102 at a second point 116. The first point 114 of the housing 102 may be on a first side 118 of the device 100. The second point 116 of the housing 102 may be on a second side 120 of the device 100.

[0083]In some example embodiments, the device 100 may further include a mouthpiece 122. In at least some example embodiments, the mouthpiece 122 may include a first end 124 and a second end 126 opposite the first end 124. The second end 126 of the mouthpiece 122 may be coupled to the second end 112 of the lid 104. In some embodiments, the second end 126 of the mouthpiece 122 may be releasably coupled to the second end 112 of the lid 104. In at least one example embodiment, the mouthpiece 122 may be tapered between the first end 124 and the second end 126. For example, the diameter or average length/width dimensions of the first end 124 may be smaller than the diameter or average length/width dimensions of the second end 126. Towards the first end 124, the taper may have a slight inward curvature 128 that is configured to receive the lips of an adult consumer and improve the comfort and experience. In some embodiments, the first end 124 may have an oblong or elliptical shape and may include one or more outlets 130. For example, the first end 124 may include four outlets 130, such that four or more different areas or quadrants of the adult consumer's mouth can be engaged during use of the device 100. In other embodiments, the mouthpiece 122 may have fewer outlets than the four outlets 130 or more outlets than the four outlets 130.

[0084]In some example embodiments, the housing 102 may include an adult consumer interface panel 132 disposed on the second side 120 of the device 100. For example, the consumer interface panel 132 may be an oval-shaped panel that runs along the second side 120 of the device 100. The consumer interface panel 132 may include a latch release button 134, as well as a communication screen 136 and/or a control button 138. For example, in at least some example embodiments, the consumer interface panel 132 may include the communication screen 136 disposed between the latch release button 134 and the control button 138. As illustrated, the latch release button 134 may be disposed towards the second end 108 of the device 100, and the control button 138 may be disposed towards the first end 106 of the device 100. The latch release button 134 and the control button 138 may be adult consumer interaction buttons. The latch release button 134 and the control button 138 may have a substantially circular shape with a center depression or dimple configured to direct the pressure applied by the adult consumer, although example embodiments are not limited thereto. The control button 138 may turn on and off the device 100. Though only the two buttons are illustrated, it should be understood more or less buttons may be provided depending on the available features and desired adult consumer interface.

[0085]The communication screen 136 may be an adult consumer interface such as a human-machine interface (HMI) display. In at least one example embodiment, the communication screen 136 may be an integrated thin-film transistor (“TFT”) screen. In other example embodiments, the communication screen 136 is an organic light emitting diode (“OLED”) or light emitting diode (“LED”) screen. The communication screen 136 is configured for adult consumer engagement and may have a generally oblong shape. The device 100 may further include also include a vibrator, speaker, or other feedback mechanisms to indicate a current state of an adult operator-controlled aerosol generating parameter (e.g., aerosol volume).

[0086]In some embodiments, an exterior of the housing 102 and/or the lid 104 may be formed from a metal (such as aluminum, stainless steel, and the like); an aesthetic, food contact rated plastic (such as, a polycarbonate (PC), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) material, liquid crystalline polymer (LCP), a copolyester plastic, or any other suitable polymer and/or plastic); or any combination thereof. The mouthpiece 122 may be similarly formed from a metal (such as aluminum, stainless steel, and the like); an aesthetic, food contact rated plastic (such as, a polycarbonate (PC), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) material, liquid crystalline polymer (LCP), a copolyester plastic, or any other suitable polymer and/or plastic); and/or plant-based materials (such as wood, bamboo, and the like). One or more interior surfaces or the housing 102 and/or the lid 104 may be formed from or coated with a high temperature plastic (such as, polyetheretherketone (PEEK), liquid crystal polymer (LCP), or the like).

[0087]Referring to FIG. 2A, FIG. 2A shows another top perspective view of the device 100 with the lid 104 in an open configuration. The lid 104 may be fixedly coupled to the housing 102 at the first point 114 by a hinge 202, or other similar connector, which allows the lid 104 to move (e.g., swing and rotate) from an open position to a closed position. In some embodiments, the hinge 202 may be a torsion spring. In at least some example embodiments, the housing 102 may include a recess 204 at the first point 114. The recess 204 may be configured to receive a portion of the lid 104 so as to allow for an easy and smooth movement of the lid 104 from the open position to the closed position (and vice versa). The recess 204 may have a structure that corresponds with a relative portion of the lid 104. For example, as illustrated, the recess 204 may include a substantially curved portion 206 that has a general concave shape that corresponds with the curvature of the lid 104, which has a general convex shape.

[0088]The lid 104 may be releasably couplable to the housing 102 at the second point 116 by a latch 208, or other similar connector, which allows the lid 104 to be fixed or secured in the closed position and easily releasable to allow the lid 104 to move from the closed position to the open position. In at least one example embodiment, the latch 208 may be coupled to a latch release mechanism disposed within the housing. The latch release mechanism may be configured to move the latch 208 from a first or closed position to a second or open position.

[0089]When the lid 104 is in the open position as shown in FIG. 2A, a capsule receiving cavity 210 of the housing 102 is exposed. A capsule connector 212 may define the capsule receiving cavity 210 of the housing 102. In some embodiments, the capsule connector 212 may be mounted or otherwise secured to a printed circuit board (PCB) within the housing 102.

[0090]As shown in FIG. 2A, a capsule 214 may be received by the capsule receiving cavity 210. The capsule 214 may house a consumable of the device 100. In some embodiments, not pictured herein, there may be a gasket disposed around the capsule 214 to help secure the capsule 214 in place within the housing 102. The capsule 214 may include a housing 216 configured to contain an aerosol-forming substrate and a heater. In some embodiments, the housing 216 may be in the form of a cover such as a shell or a box sleeve. In some embodiments, the capsule 214 can include a first end cap 217 and a second end cap. The second end cap may be opposite the first end cap 217 such that is disposed within the housing 102 when the capsule 214 is received by the capsule receiving cavity 210.

[0091]As discussed herein, an aerosol-forming substrate is a material or combination of materials that may yield an aerosol. An aerosol relates to the matter generated or output by the devices disclosed, claimed, and equivalents thereof. The material may include a compound (e.g., nicotine, cannabinoid), wherein an aerosol including the compound is produced when the material is heated. The heating may be below the combustion temperature so as to produce an aerosol without involving a substantial pyrolysis of the aerosol-forming substrate or the substantial generation of combustion byproducts (if any). Thus, in an example embodiment, pyrolysis does not occur during the heating and resulting production of aerosol. In other instances, there may be some pyrolysis and combustion byproducts, but the extent may be considered relatively minor and/or merely incidental.

[0092]The aerosol-forming substrate may be a fibrous material. For instance, the fibrous material may be a botanical material. The fibrous material is configured to release a compound when heated. The compound may be a naturally occurring constituent of the fibrous material. For instance, the fibrous material may be plant material such as tobacco, and the compound released may be nicotine. The term “tobacco” includes any tobacco plant material including tobacco leaf, tobacco plug, reconstituted tobacco, compressed tobacco, shaped tobacco, or powder tobacco, and combinations thereof from one or more species of tobacco plants, such as Nicotiana rustica and Nicotiana tabacum.

[0093]In some example embodiments, the tobacco material may include material from any member of the genus Nicotiana. In addition, the tobacco material may include a blend of two or more different tobacco varieties. Examples of suitable types of tobacco materials that may be used include, but are not limited to, flue-cured tobacco, Burley tobacco, Dark tobacco, Maryland tobacco, Oriental tobacco, rare tobacco, specialty tobacco, blends thereof, and the like. The tobacco material may be provided in any suitable form, including, but not limited to, tobacco lamina, processed tobacco materials, such as volume expanded or puffed tobacco, processed tobacco stems, such as cut-rolled or cut-puffed stems, reconstituted tobacco materials, blends thereof, and the like. In some example embodiments, the tobacco material is in the form of a substantially dry tobacco mass. Furthermore, in some instances, the tobacco material may be mixed and/or combined with at least one of propylene glycol, glycerin, sub-combinations thereof, or combinations thereof.

[0094]The compound may also be a naturally occurring constituent of a medicinal plant that has a medically-accepted therapeutic effect. For instance, the medicinal plant may be a cannabis plant, and the compound may be a cannabinoid. Cannabinoids interact with receptors in the body to produce a wide range of effects. As a result, cannabinoids have been used for a variety of medicinal purposes (e.g., treatment of pain, nausea, epilepsy, psychiatric disorders). The fibrous material may include the leaf and/or flower material from one or more species of cannabis plants such as Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. In some instances, the fibrous material is a mixture of 60-80% (e.g., 70%) Cannabis sativa and 20-40% (e.g., 30%) Cannabis indica.

[0095]Examples of cannabinoids include tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiolic acid (CBDA), cannabidiol (CBD), cannabinol (CBN), cannabicyclol (CBL), cannabichromene (CBC), and cannabigerol (CBG). Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) is a precursor of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), while cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) is precursor of cannabidiol (CBD). Tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) and cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) may be converted to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD), respectively, via heating. In an example embodiment, heat from a heater may cause decarboxylation so as to convert the tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) in the capsule to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and/or to convert the cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) in the capsule to cannabidiol (CBD).

[0096]In instances where both tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) are present in the capsule, the decarboxylation and resulting conversion will cause a decrease in tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) and an increase in tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). At least 50% (e.g., at least 87%) of the tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) may be converted to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) during the heating of the capsule. Similarly, in instances where both cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) and cannabidiol (CBD) are present in the capsule, the decarboxylation and resulting conversion will cause a decrease in cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) and an increase in cannabidiol (CBD). At least 50% (e.g., at least 87%) of the cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) may be converted to cannabidiol (CBD) during the heating of the capsule.

[0097]Furthermore, the compound may be or may additionally include a non-naturally occurring additive that is subsequently introduced into the fibrous material. In one instance, the fibrous material may include at least one of cotton, polyethylene, polyester, rayon, combinations thereof, or the like (e.g., in a form of a gauze). In another instance, the fibrous material may be a cellulose material (e.g., non-tobacco and/or non-cannabis material). In either instance, the compound introduced may include nicotine, cannabinoids, and/or flavorants. The flavorants may be from natural sources, such as plant extracts (e.g., tobacco extract, cannabis extract), and/or artificial sources. In yet another instance, when the fibrous material includes tobacco and/or cannabis, the compound may be or may additionally include one or more flavorants (e.g., menthol, mint, vanilla). Thus, the compound within the aerosol-forming substrate may include naturally occurring constituents and/or non-naturally occurring additives. In this regard, it should be understood that existing levels of the naturally occurring constituents of the aerosol-forming substrate may be increased through supplementation. For example, the existing levels of nicotine in a quantity of tobacco may be increased through supplementation with an extract containing nicotine. Similarly, the existing levels of one or more cannabinoids in a quantity of cannabis may be increased through supplementation with an extract containing such cannabinoids.

[0098]Example embodiments are not necessarily limited to heating a plant material. For example, in some example embodiments, the device may be configured to heat a pre-vapor formulation, which is a material or combination of materials that may be transformed into a vapor

[0099]For example, the pre-vapor formulation may be a liquid, solid, and/or gel formulation including, but not limited to, water, beads, solvents, active ingredients, ethanol, plant extracts, natural or artificial flavors, and/or vapor formers such as glycerin and propylene glycol.

[0100]A heater may be used to transform the pre-vapor formulation into a vapor. For example, the heater may be configured for resistive heating, inductive heating, infrared heating, ceramic heating, convection heating, microfluidic-channel layered heating, or any combination thereof.

[0101]In some example embodiments, the heater may include or be part of a microfluidics- or chip-based heating assembly. Such a heating assembly may include a plurality of layers. The plurality of layers may be formed from plastic, silicon, titanium, metals, ceramics, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), polymers, fiberglass, composites, or other materials. For example, a capillary element of the heating assembly may include a substrate defining a plurality of microchannels. The substrate may include materials such as glass, titanium, aluminum, sapphire, silicon carbide, diamond, ceramics, metals, silicon, and the like. A resistive element of the heating assembly may include a thin film resistive heating element. The thin film resistive heating element may include a low thermal conductivity material, such as, but not limited to, a glass, a plastic, a polymer, a fiberglass, a composite, a ceramic, and the like. For example, the heating assembly may be a vaporization apparatus as described in U.S. Pat. No. 11,117,068, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0102]In some example embodiments, the heater may be a conductive structure that is configured to surround, hold, abut, or otherwise interface with a capillary element containing a pre-vapor formulation (e.g., wire coil surrounding a wick, a conductive mesh abutting an absorbent pad, a metal/alloy trace formed on a ceramic material). The conductive structure may be formed of an electrically resistive material. Examples of suitable electrically resistive materials include titanium, zirconium, tantalum, copper, and/or metals from the platinum group. Examples of suitable metal alloys include stainless steel, nickel-, cobalt-, chromium-, aluminum- titanium-zirconium-, hafnium-, niobium-, molybdenum-, tantalum-, tungsten-, tin-, gallium-, manganese-, and iron-containing alloys, and super-alloys based on nickel, iron, cobalt, stainless steel. For example, the heater may be formed of nickel aluminides (a material with a layer of alumina on the surface), iron aluminides, and other composite materials. The electrically resistive material may optionally be embedded in, encapsulated, or coated with an insulating material or vice-versa, depending on the kinetics of energy transfer and the external physicochemical properties required. In some example embodiments, the heater may include stainless steel, copper alloys, nickel-chromium alloys, iron-chromium alloys, superalloys, and combinations thereof. In some example embodiments, the heater may be a ceramic heater having an electrically resistive layer on an outside surface thereof. In some example embodiments, the heater may be constructed of an iron-aluminide (e.g., FeAl or Fe₃Al), such as those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,595,706, or nickel aluminides (e.g., Ni₃Al), the entire contents of which are hereby incorporate by reference.

[0103]The first end cap 217 can include a first opening 218. In some embodiments, the first opening 218 may be a series of openings disposed through the first end cap 217. Similarly, the second end cap can include a second opening that may be a series of openings in some embodiments. In some embodiments, the first end cap 217 and/or the second end cap may be transparent so as to serve as windows configured to permit a viewing of the contents/components (e.g., aerosol-forming substrate and/or heater) within the capsule 214.

[0104]The capsule receiving cavity 210 may have a base that may be inside the housing 102. In some embodiments, the base may include at least a first contact point 419 and a second contact point 421 that may each be configured to couple to one or more contact points of the capsule 214 when the capsule 214 is received by the capsule receiving cavity 210. A power may be applied to the first contact point 419, which may then be provided to the heater of the capsule 214.

[0105]When the capsule 214 is inserted into the capsule receiving cavity 210, the weight of the capsule 214 itself may not be sufficient to compress the first contact point 419 and the second contact point 421 of the base of the capsule receiving cavity 210. As a result, the capsule 214 may simply rest on exposed pins of the first contact point 419 and the second contact point 421 without any compression (or without any significant compression) of electrical contacts of the first contact point 419 and the second contact point 421. Additionally, the weight of the lid 104 itself, when pivoted to transition to a closed position, may not compress the electrical contacts of the first contact point 419 and the second contact point 421 to any significant degree and, instead, may simply rest on the capsule 214 in an intermediate, partially open/closed position. In such an instance, a deliberate action (e.g., downward force) to close the lid 104 will cause a surface 220 of the lid 104 to press down onto the capsule 214 to provide the desired seal and also cause the capsule 214 to compress and, thus, fully engage the electrical contacts of the first contact point 419 and the second contact point 421. When in the closed position, the lid 104 secures the capsule 214 within the device 100.

[0106]Additionally, a full closure of the lid 104 may result in an engagement with the latch 208, which may maintain the closed position and the desired mechanical/electrical engagements involving the capsule 214 until released (e.g., via the latch release button 134). The force requirement for closing the lid 104 may help to ensure and/or improve air/aerosol sealing and to provide a more robust electrical connection, as well as improved device and thermal efficiency and battery life by reducing or eliminating early power draws and/or parasitic heating of the capsule 214.

[0107]The lid 104 may include an inner cavity 222 that may be adapted to receive the housing 102 when the lid is in the closed position. In some embodiments, the inner cavity 222 of the lid 104 may include an impingement or engagement member or the surface 220 configured to engage the capsule 214 when the lid 104 is pivoted to transition to the closed position. The surface 220 of the lid 104 may include a recess that may correspond to the size and shape of the capsule and/or a resilient material to enhance an interface with the capsule to provide the desired seal. In some embodiments, the lid 104 may further include an opening 224 that may be adapted to receive the second end 126 of the mouthpiece 122. The mouthpiece 122 may include at least one extension 226 that may be received by the opening 224 of the lid 104 to secure the mouthpiece 122 to the lid 104. In some embodiments, the lid 104 may further include a projection that may be configured to couple with a recess 228 of the housing 102. The projection may fit within the recess 228 when the lid 104 is coupled to the housing 102 in the closed position.

[0108]In at least one example embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 2B, the housing 102 defines a charging connector or port 170. For example, the charging connector 170 may be defined/disposed in a bottom or second end of the housing 102 distal from the capsule receiving cavity 210. The charging connector 170 may be configured to receive an electric current (e.g., via a USB/mini-USB cable) from an external power source so as to charge a power source 150 internal to the aerosol-generating device 100. For example, in at least one example embodiment, such as best illustrated in FIG. 2C, the charging connector 170 may be an assembly defining a cavity 171 that has a projection 175 within the cavity 171. In at least one example embodiment, the projection 175 does not extend beyond the rim of the cavity 171. In addition, the charging connector 170 may also be configured to send data to and/or receive data (e.g., via a USB/mini-USB cable) from another aerosol generating device (e.g., a heated tobacco aerosol generating device) and/or other electronic device (e.g., phone, tablet, computer, and the like). In at least one embodiment, the device 100 may instead or additionally be configured for wireless communication (e.g., via Bluetooth) with such other aerosol generating devices and/or electronic devices.

[0109]In at least one example embodiment, such as best illustrated in FIG. 2C, a protective grille 172 is disposed around the charging connector 170. The protective grille 172 may be configured to help reduce or prevent debris ingress and/or the inadvertent blockage of the incoming airflow. For example, the protective grille 172 may define a plurality of pores 173 along its length or course. As illustrated, the protective grille 172 may have an annular form that surrounds the charging connector 170. In this regard, the pores 173 may also be arranged (e.g., in a serial arrangement) around the charging connector 170. Each of the pores 173 may have an oval or circular shape, although not limited thereto. In at least one example embodiment, the protective grille 172 may include an approved food contact material. For example, the protective grille 172 may include plastic, metal (e.g., stainless steel, aluminum), or any combination thereof. In at least one example embodiment, a surface of the protective grille 172 may be coated, for example with a thin layer of plastic, and/or anodized.

[0110]The pores 173 in the protective grille 172 may function as inlets for air drawn into the aerosol-generating device 100. During the operation of the aerosol-generating device 100, ambient air entering through the pores 173 in the protective grille 172 around the charging connector 170 will converge to form a combined flow that then travels to the capsule 214. For example, the pores 173 may be in fluidic communication with the capsule receiving cavity 210. In at least one example embodiment, air may be drawn from the pores 173 and through the capsule receiving cavity 210. For example, air may be drawn through the capsule 214 received by the capsule receiving cavity 210 and out of the replaceable mouthpiece 190.

[0111]As should be understood, the device 100 and the capsule 214 include additional components (e.g., heater and internal air flow path) such as described in Atty. Docket No. 24000NV-000874-US, entitled “CAPSULES HAVING ELECTRICAL CONTACT PADS WITH SURFACE DISCONTINUITIES AND HEAT-NOT-BURN (HNB) AEROSOL-GENERATING DEVICES INCLUDING THE SAME”, filed on Nov. 7, 2022 and assigned application Ser. No. 17/981,973, the entire contents of which are herein incorporated by reference.

[0112]For example, U.S. application Ser. No. 17/981,973 may include details regarding the design of a capsule-receiving cavity that includes the first and second contact points extending therein to contact the capsule 214.

[0113]FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a capsule monitoring system of the device of FIG. 1 in accordance with at least one example embodiment.

[0114]Referring to FIG. 3, a block diagram of a capsule monitoring system 300 of the device 100 according to an example embodiment is shown. In one example, the capsule monitoring system 300 is configured to determine a resistance between the first contact point 419 of the device 100 and the second contact point 421 of the device 100 when a power is applied. The capsule monitoring system 300 is configured to use the resistance between the first contact point 419 and the second contact point 421 to determine whether the capsule 214 has been inserted into the device 100 and, if the capsule 214 has been inserted into the device 100, whether the heater within the capsule 214 is operable within its operating specifications. The capsule monitoring system 300 may achieve this by comparing the resistance between a first contact point 419 and a second contact point 421 with various ranges and thresholds based on operating specifications of the heater of the capsule 214.

[0115]The capsule monitoring system 300 may include a processor 302, a memory 304, a mechanism detection switch 306, the communication screen 136, a heating engine control 308, the control button 138, and at least one measurement circuit 310. In some embodiments, the processor 302 may include a multichannel analog to digital converter (ADC) 312 and a timer 314. The processor 302 may communicate with the memory 304, the mechanism detection switch 306, the heating engine control 308, the communication screen 136, the control button 138, the at least one measurement circuit 310, the multichannel ADC 312, and the timer 314.

[0116]The processor 302 may be hardware including logic circuits, a hardware/software combination that may be configured to execute software, a combination thereof. The processor 302 may be configured as a special purpose machine (e.g., a processing device) to execute the software or instructions stored in the memory 304. The software may be embodied as program code including instructions for performing and/or controlling any or all operations described herein as being performed by the processor 302.

[0117]While the timer 314 is shown within the processor, it should be understood that the timer 314 may be external to the processor 302.

[0118]The memory 304 may describe any of the terms “storage medium”, “computer readable storage medium” or “non-transitory computer readable storage medium” and may represent one or more devices for storing data, including read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic RAM, core memory, magnetic disk storage mediums, optical storage mediums, flash memory devices and/or other tangible machine-readable mediums for storing information. The term “computer-readable medium” may include, but is not limited to, portable or fixed storage devices, optical storage devices, and various other mediums capable of storing, containing, or carrying instructions and/or data. The memory 304 may store operational parameters and computer readable instructions for the processor 302 to perform the algorithms described herein. The memory 304 may store values determined throughout operation of the capsule monitoring system 300, such as determined resistances. The memory 304 is illustrated as being external to the processor 302, but in some example embodiments, the memory 304 may be on board the processor 302.

[0119]The timer 314 may be a timing mechanism, such as an oscillator circuit, to enable the processor 302 to measure times related to operation of the device 100. The timer 314 may include one or more timers configured to measure elapsed time related to the device 100 and/or the capsule monitoring system 300. For example, the timer 314 may include one or more of a capsule insertion timer, a session timer, and a countdown timer.

[0120]The capsule insertion timer may be configured to measure a capsule insertion time, which may be a length of time that power is applied to the first contact point 419 after the processor 302 detects the mechanism detection switch 306 has been activated. As discussed in more detail below, the capsule insertion time may be used to determine when to detect the resistance of the capsule 214 based on the device 100 reaching steady state after the capsule 214 is inserted into the device 100. The session timer may measure a session length, which may correspond to a length of time that the heater of the capsule 214 is activated during a session and may correspond to a heat duration. The processor 302 may activate a countdown timer T_countdown after a session is completed to measure whether a desired (or, alternatively a predetermined) length of time has elapsed after completion of the session.

[0121]The mechanism detection switch 306 may be configured to be activated when the lid 104 of the device 100 has been latched and/or unlatched. In other words, activation of the mechanism detection switch 306 may occur when an adult consumer closes and/or opens the lid 104. Such a closure may occur after an adult consumer has inserted the capsule 214 into the capsule receiving cavity 210 of the device 100.

[0122]The communication screen 136 may be configured to display information related to the device 100. The communication screen 136 may be configured to display one or more icons to communicate information related to the device 100. For example, the communication screen 136 may be configured to display a fault indicator that may indicate to an adult consumer the capsule 214 cannot operate properly and should be removed from the device 100. In some embodiments, the communication screen 136 may be configured to display a capsule accepted indicator that may indicate to an adult consumer the capsule 214 was detected in the device 100 and the heater of the capsule 214 was found to be properly operable in accordance with the heater's operating specifications during the startup monitoring operation.

[0123]The control button 138 may be configured to generate a signal indicating that an adult consumer has switched the device 100 to an “on” state or to an “off” state. When the device 100 is switched to an “on” state, the device 100 may begin to preheat. In some embodiments, a session may start once the control button 138 is pressed.

[0124]The heating engine control 308 may be communicatively coupled with the heater of the capsule 214. The heating engine control 308 may be configured to turn on the heater when the control button 138 detects that the device 100 has been powered on. The heating engine control 308 may additionally be configured to turn off the heater of the capsule 214 when the control button is actuated to turn off the device 100, a session end criteria (e.g., maximum puff count or maximum session length) occurs, a capsule fault occurs, or a device fault occurs.

[0125]The at least one measurement circuit 310 may include a plurality of sensors or measurement circuits configured to provide signals to the processor 302. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the at least one measurement circuit 310 may provide a current and voltage information to the processor 302.

[0126]The at least one measurement circuit 310 is connected to the processor 302 through respective pins of the multichannel ADC 312. In some embodiments, there may be multiple multichannel ADCs 312, such that each multichannel ADC 312 may be connected to respective ones of the at least one measurement circuit 310. The multichannel ADC 312 of the processor 302 may sample the output signals from the at least one measurement circuit 310 at a sampling rate appropriate for the given characteristic and/or parameter of the capsule 214 (e.g., voltage, current, resistance, temperature, or the like, of the heater) being measured by the respective measurement circuit 310.

[0127]Further detail regarding the at least one measurement circuit 310 is provided below with reference to FIG. 4.

[0128]FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of a heating system 400 according to one or more example embodiments.

[0129]Referring to FIG. 4, the heating system 400 includes a device heating system 402 and a capsule heating system 404. The device heating system 402 may be included in the device 100, and the capsule heating system 404 may be included in the capsule 214.

[0130]The capsule heating system 404 may include a body electrical/data interface (not shown) for transferring power and/or data between the device 100 and the capsule 214. According to at least one example embodiment, electrical contacts may serve as the body electrical interface, but example embodiments are not limited thereto. The capsule heating system 404 may include a heater 406 included within the capsule 214.

[0131]The device heating system 402 includes the processor 302, a power supply 410, the at least one measurement circuit 310, the heating engine control 308, the communication screen 136, the control button 138, the memory 304, and the timer 314. The device heating system 402 may further include the first contact point 419 and the second contact point 421 for providing power from the device 100 to the capsule 214. The processor 302 may further include the multichannel ADC 312. The processor 302 is communicatively coupled to the at least one measurement circuit 310, the heating engine control 308, the communication screen 136, the memory 304, the control button 138, the timer 314 and the power supply 410.

[0132]The power supply 410 may be an internal power supply to supply power to the device 100 and the capsule 214. The supply of power from the power supply 410 may be controlled by the processor 302 through device power control circuitry (not shown). The power control circuitry may include one or more switches or transistors to regulate power output from the power supply 410. The power supply 410 may be a Lithium-ion battery or a variant thereof (e.g., a Lithium-ion polymer battery).

[0133]In the example embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the at least one measurement circuit 310 may include a current measurement circuit 420, a voltage measurement circuit 422, and a compensation voltage measurement circuit 424. As discussed above, the at least one measurement circuit 310 may be connected to the processor 302 through respective pins of the multichannel ADC 312.

[0134]The current measurement circuit 420 may be configured to output (e.g., voltage) signals indicative of the current through the heater 406 at the first contact point 419 and/or the second contact point 421. The voltage measurement circuit 422 may be configured to output (e.g., voltage) signals indicative of the voltage between the first contact point 419 and the second contact point 421, which may be the voltage across the heater 406 when the heater 406 is present in the device 100. The current and/or the voltage may be used to determine characteristics, such as resistance between the first contact point 419 and the second contact point 421.

[0135]The compensation voltage measurement circuit 424 may be configured to output (e.g., voltage) signals indicative of the resistance of electrical power interface (e.g., electrical connector) between the capsule 214 and the device 100. In some example embodiments, the compensation voltage measurement circuit 424 may provide compensation voltage measurement signals to the processor 302, which may be used to calculate a corrected power to apply to the first contact point 419.

[0136]To measure characteristics and/or parameters of the device 100 and the capsule 214 (e.g., voltage, current, resistance, temperature, or the like, of the heater 406), the processor 302 may sample the output signals from the device sensors 310 at a sampling rate appropriate for the given characteristic and/or parameter being measured by the respective device sensor.

[0137]Additional details and/or alternatives for the voltage measurement circuit 422, current measurement circuit 420, and/or the compensation voltage measurement circuit 424 may be found in U.S. application Ser. No. 17/151,409, titled “Heat-Not-Burn (HNB) Aerosol-Generating Devices Including Intra-Draw Heater Control, and Methods of Controlling a Heater” (Atty. Dkt. No. 24000NV-000670-US), filed on Jan. 18, 2021 and U.S. application Ser. No. 18/732,733, titled “Heat-Not-Burn (HNB) Aerosol-Generating Devices and Methods for Generating Aerosol” (Atty. Dkt. No. 24000NV-000982-US-01), filed on Jun. 4, 2024, the entire contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0138]Still referring to FIG. 4, the processor 302 may control power to the first contact point 419, which is provided to the heater 406, to heat the aerosol-forming substrate in accordance with a heating profile (e.g., heating based on volume, temperature, flavor, or the like) during a heating operation. The heating profile may be determined based on empirical data and may be stored in the memory 304.

[0139]For example, as discussed in more detail in U.S. application Ser. No. 17/151,409, the device 100 may include a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller to control an amount of power applied based on error signal, which may be a difference between the current heater temperature and a target temperature value that serves as a setpoint in a PID control loop. The PID controller may reduce or minimize the error signal by backing off the power being applied (this is largely controlled by a proportional term (P) of the PID controller, but an integral term (I), and a derivative term (D) also contribute).

[0140]Further, the processor 302 may use the current and the voltage provided by the at least one measurement circuit 310 to indirectly determine the resistance R_Heater of the heater 406 (e.g., using Ohm's law or other known methods). For example, according to at least some example embodiments, the processor 302 may divide the measured voltage by the measured current to determine the heater resistance R_Heater.

[0141]In some example embodiments, the processor 302 may perform temperature control using the determined heater resistance R_Heater.

[0142]For example, the processor 302 may use the following equation to determine (i.e., estimate) the temperature:

[0144]The baseline resistance R₀ is stored in the memory 304 by the processor 302 during the initial preheat. More specifically, the processor 302 may measure the baseline resistance R₀ when the power applied to the heater 406 has reached a value where a measurement error has a reduced effect on the temperature calculation. For example, the processor 302 may measure the baseline resistance R₀ when the power supplied to the heater 406 is 2 W (where resistance measurement error is approximately less than 1%).

[0145]Since each heater 406 is often produced with slightly different resistance values, the baseline resistance R₀ may be used to measure the temperature of the heater 406 more accurately during operation based on the difference between the baseline resistance R₀ and a subsequently measured current resistance R_Heater of the heater 406 during operation.

[0146]As discussed in more details below, while the baseline resistance R₀ is utilized in the above equation to estimate the temperature of the heater based on the delta ΔR between the baseline resistance R₀ and the current resistance R_Heater, if the measurement of the baseline resistance R₀ is incorrect due to, for example, the capsule 214 having not sufficiently cooled down from a prior session, the measured baseline resistance R₀ may be incorrectly determined as being substantially greater than the actual baseline resistance R₀ at the starting temperature T₀. Accordingly, the heater 406 may be inadvertently heated beyond a desired temperature, which may damage the device 100. Accordingly, in one or more example embodiments, the device 100 (e.g., the processor 302) may detect whether the capsule 214 is a “warm capsule,” which is a capsule that has not sufficiently cooled down to approximate room temperature and thus has attributes associated with a previous use of the capsule 214, or a “cool capsule,” which is a capsule that is at approximately room temperature, and determine that the attempted measurement of the baseline resistance R₀ is an accurate measurement of the baseline resistance R₀ when the capsule 214 is detected as not being a warm capsule.

[0147]The starting temperature T₀ is the ambient temperature at the time when the processor 302 measures the baseline resistance R₀. In some example embodiments, the starting temperature may be a fixed desired (or, alternatively, predetermined) value associated with an expected room temperature of the operating environment of the device 100. In other example embodiments, the processor 302 may determine the starting temperature T₀ using an onboard thermistor or any other temperature measurement device to measure the starting temperature T₀.

[0148]FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method of operating the capsule monitoring system in accordance with example embodiments.

[0149]Referring to FIG. 5, the method of FIG. 5 may be performed by, for example, the processor 302. However, the operations described below may be executed by other elements of the capsule monitoring system 300. For example purposes, the method will be discussed with regard to the example embodiments shown in FIGS. 3 and/or 4. However, example embodiments should not be limited to these examples.

[0150]Many non-combustible devices use a preheat of organic material (e.g., tobacco) prior to use. The preheat is used to elevate the temperature of the material to a point at which the compounds of interest begin to volatize such that the first negative pressure applied by an adult operator contains a suitable volume and composition of aerosol.

[0151]In at least some example embodiments, applied energy is used as a basis for controlling the heater during preheating. Using applied energy to control the heater improves the quality and consistency of the first negative pressure applied by the adult operator. By contrast, time and temperature are generally used as a basis for controlling the preheat.

[0152]In operation S100, the processor 302 detects that the capsule 214 is inserted into the aerosol-generating device 100.

[0153]In some example embodiments, the processor 302 obtains a signal from the mechanism detection switch 306 coupled to the lid 104. In other example embodiments, the device 100 further includes a capsule detection switch. The capsule detection switch detects whether the capsule 214 is properly inserted (e.g., the capsule detection switch gets pushed down/closes when the capsule 214 is properly inserted).

[0154]In operation S200, the processor 302 may measure the resistance R_Heater of the heater 406. The resistance R_Heater of the heater 406 may be used to perform one or more of a heater continuity check to determine whether the resistance R_Heater of the heater 406 is within an acceptable range (e.g., ±20%), and to set the baseline resistance R₀ of the heater 406.

[0155]In more detail, for example, the processor 302 may calculate the resistance R_Heater of the heater 406 based on a measured voltage V across and current I through the heater 406 according to the well-known equation:

$R_{\mathrm{Heater}}=\frac{V}{I}$

[0156]The measured current I through the heater 406 may be provided by, or determined based on information provided by the at least one measurement circuit 310, for example, the current measurement circuit 420. The measured voltage V across the heater 406 may be provided by, or determined based on information provided by, the at least one measurement circuit 310, for example, the voltage measurement circuit 422.

[0157]In some example embodiments, the processor 302 may utilize the capsule insertion time measured by the capsule insertion timer to measure an amount of time elapsed since the capsule 214 is inserted into the device 100, and may determine the resistance R_Heater based on the measured current I and voltage V at a set time after the capsule 214 is inserted into the device 100.

[0158]Based on the measured voltage V across and current I through the heater 406, the processor 302 may calculate the resistance R_Heater of the heater 406.

[0159]In operation S300, the processor 302 may determine whether the resistance R_Heater of the heater 406 falls within an acceptable baseline resistance range.

[0160]The device 100 may be configured to accept a wide range of acceptable baseline resistances, such as baseline resistances ranging from 1958 mΩ-2464 mΩ, which may be based off a specification of the heater 406 indicating between 2000 mΩ-2400 mΩ plus/minus a −1% or +2% tolerance due to normal device electronics variability.

[0161]If the processor 302 determines that the resistance R_Heater of the heater 406 does not fall within the acceptable baseline resistance range set based on, for example, the specification of the heater 406, the device may proceed to operation S900 and reject the capsule. For example, the processor 302 may instruct the device 100 to display a fault indicator that may indicate to an adult consumer that the capsule 214 cannot operate properly and should be removed from the device 100.

[0162]If the processor 302 determines that the resistance R_Heater of the heater 406 falls within the acceptable baseline resistance range, the processor may perform a warm capsule detection S800 prior to accepting the capsule 214.

[0163]Conventionally, the capsule 214 may be accepted if the resistance R_Heater of the heater 406 falls within acceptable baseline resistance range. However, if the device 100 simply measures whether the resistance R_Heater of the heater 406 is within the acceptable baseline range and sets the baseline resistance R₀ to the measured resistance R_Heater that falls within the acceptable baseline range, the measured baseline resistance R₀ may be incorrectly determined as being substantially greater than the actual baseline resistance R₀.

[0164]For example, during normal operation of the device 100, the heater 406 may reach a maximum temperature of approximately 280° C., which may correlate to approximate a 550 mΩ increase in resistance. Therefore, a heater with a baseline resistance R₀ of, for example, 2200 mΩ at 20° C. may have a measured resistance R_Heater of 2750 mΩ at the maximum temperature of 280° C. If the cartridge is ejected and reinserted prior to the heater 406 sufficiently cooling back to 20° C., the measured resistance R_Heater of the heater 406 of this warm capsule may read, for example, 2400 mΩ while the heater 406 is at 120° C.

[0165]As discussed above, on the lower end, the device 100 may be configured to accept a baseline resistance of 1958 mΩ, and on the upper end, the device 100 may be configured to accept a baseline resistance of 2464 mΩ.

[0166]Since the measured resistance in this example of 2400 mΩ is within the acceptable baseline resistance range (e.g., 1958 mΩ-2464 mΩ), if the device 100 sets the baseline resistance R₀ to the measured resistance of 2400 mΩ, the measured baseline resistance R₀ may be incorrectly determined as being substantially greater than the actual baseline resistance R₀. As such, the device 100 may allow the heater 406 to be heated until the resistance increases approximately 550 mΩ from this incorrectly set baseline resistance R₀, which would result with the temperature of the heater approaching over 360° C., which is beyond the desired maximum temperature of approximately 280° C.

[0167]Therefore, in one or more example embodiments, rather than simply set the baseline resistance R₀ to the measured resistance R_Heater that falls within the acceptable range, the device 100 may perform the warm capsule detection S800 to determine whether the capsule 214 has not sufficiently cooled.

[0168]More specifically, in operation S8100, the processor 302 may detect whether the countdown timer T_countdown started at an end of a prior session has expired or is still running.

[0169]If the processor 302 determines the countdown timer T_countdown has expired, in operation S8100, the processor 302 proceeds to operation S400 and stores the resistance R_Heater measured in operation S200 in the memory 304 as the baseline resistance R₀ associated with the starting temperature T₀.

[0170]Since each heater 406 is often produced with slightly different resistance values, the processor 302 may utilize the determined baseline resistance R₀ to accurately measure the temperature of the heater 406 during operation based on the difference (alternatively, the delta) between the baseline resistance R₀ and a subsequently measured current resistance R_Heater of the heater 406 during operation the heater 406.

[0171]If the processor 302 instead determines the countdown timer T_countdown is still running in operation S8100, the processor 302 continues to perform the warm capsule detection since there is a possibility that the capsule 214 is a previously used capsule that has not had enough time to sufficiently cool since the last session.

[0172]More specifically, in operation S8200, the processor 302 compares the prior session length stored in the memory 304 to a threshold, which may also be stored in the memory 304 to determine which resistance model to compare with the measured resistance R_Heater of the heater 406.

[0173]For example, the resistance R_Heater profile of the heater 406 during cooldown may be impacted by various factors including the mass of the capsule 214, the contents of the capsule 214 and the amount of material in the capsule 214 already “spent,” where a capsule with larger mass will retain more heat, capsules with different fillers included in the contents of the capsule may have slightly different thermal properties, and capsules with more contents remaining will be able to retain a larger amount of heat. Since different levels of heat are transferred into the capsule 214 depending on the session length, the processor 302 may select different resistance models to compare with the measured resistance R_Heater of the heater 406 based on the prior session length.

[0174]If the processor 302 determines the prior session length is less than a threshold, in operation S8300, the processor 302 may predict the expected resistance of a warm capsule using a first resistance model. Details on the first resistance model will be discussed below with reference to FIG. 7.

[0175]In contrast, if the processor 302 determines the prior session length is not less than the threshold, in operation S8400, the processor 302 may predict the expected resistance of a warm capsule using a second resistance model. The second resistance model may be a model that incorporates session length into the model. Details on the second resistance model will be discussed below with reference to FIGS. 8-10.

[0176]However, example embodiments are not limited thereto and, in some example embodiments, there may be three or more resistance models such that the processor 302 uses different thresholds to determine which of the three or more resistance models to utilize to predict the expected resistance of a warm capsule, and determine whether the capsule 214 is a warm capsule based on whether the measured resistance R_Heater of the heater 406 is within the range predicted by the selected resistance model.

[0177]In operation S8500, the processor 302 may determine whether the resistance R_Heater of the heater 406 measured in operation S200 is within the range predicted by the selected resistance model.

[0178]If the processor 302 determines that the measured resistance R_Heater of the heater 406 falls within the range predicted by the selected resistance model, the processor may proceed to operation S900.

[0179]As discussed above, in operation S900, the processor 302 may reject the capsule 214. For example, processor 302 may instruct the device 100 to display a fault indicator that may indicate to an adult consumer that the capsule 214 cannot operate properly and should be removed from the device 100.

[0180]In some other example embodiments, rather than rejecting the capsule 214, upon detecting that the measured resistance R_Heater of the heater 406 falls within the range predicted by the selected resistance model, the processor 302 may determine to resume a prior session utilizing a previously stored baseline resistance R₀ associated with the prior session.

[0181]If the processor 302 determines that the measured resistance R_Heater of the heater 406 does not fall within the range predicted by the selected resistance model, the processor 302 may proceed to operation S400 and may store the resistance R_Heater measured in operation S200 in the memory 304 as the baseline resistance R₀ associated with the starting temperature T₀ in the same or in a similar manner to that discussed above with regards to the countdown timer T_countdown having expired.

[0182]After storing the baseline resistance R_Heater in the memory 304, in operation S500, the processor 302 may operate the heater 406 during a session using the stored baseline resistance R_Heater to estimate the temperature of the heater 406. Operation S500 will be discussed in more detail below with reference to FIG. 6.

[0183]The operation of the aerosol-generating device 100 may be an automatic operation (e.g., puff-activated) or a manual operation (e.g., button-activated). For example, the device 100 may include a sensor, such as an air flow sensor, disposed upstream from the capsule 214 that may sense a puff and may activate the session in response to detection of the puff. In at least one example embodiment, the sensor may be a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) flow or pressure sensor or another type of sensor configured to measure air flow such as a hot-wire anemometer. In an example embodiment, the output of the sensor to measure airflow is instantaneous measurement of flow (in ml/s or cm3/s) via a digital interface or SPI. In other example embodiments, the sensor may be a hot-wire anemometer, a digital MEMS sensor or other known sensors. The flow sensor may be operated as a puff sensor by detecting a draw when the flow value is greater than or equal to 1 mL/s, and terminating a draw when the flow value subsequently drops to 0 mL/s. In another example, the flow sensor may be operated as a puff sensor by detecting a draw when the flow value is greater than or equal to 1 mL/s and terminating a draw when the flow value subsequently drops below 1 mL/s. In an example embodiment, the sensor may be a MEMS flow sensor based differential pressure sensor with the differential pressure (in Pascals) converted to an instantaneous flow reading (in mL/s) using a curve fitting calibration function or a Look Up Table (of flow values for each differential pressure reading). In another example embodiment, the flow sensor may be a capacitive pressure drop sensor.

[0184]In operations S600 and S700, after the session is completed, the processor 302 may shut power off to the heater 406 and may store the session length measured by the session timer, the heat duration and the energy used during the session in the memory 304 and may activate the countdown timer T_countdown.

[0185]By storing the heat duration and the energy used and activating the countdown timer T_countdown, the processor 302 may subsequently perform the warm capsule detection S800 by applying the stored heat duration and energy to a subsequently selected resistance model, if the capsule 214 is ejected and re-inserted into the device 100.

[0186]FIG. 6 illustrates a method of operating a heater according to example embodiments,

[0187]Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, as discussed above, if the capsule 214 passes the warm capsule detection of operation S800, the processor 302 stores the resistance R_Heater measured in operation S200 in the memory 304 as the baseline resistance R₀ associated with the starting temperature T₀ and proceeds to operate the heater 406 in operation S500. Operation of the heater 406 in operation S500 may include operations S510 to S590.

[0188]In operation S510 and S520, the processor 302 may activate the heater 406 and may increase the temperature of the heater 406 by ramping up the power supplied to the heater 406 so that the temperature of the heater 406 increases towards an initial pre-heat target temperature. Further, the processor 302 may instruct the session timer to activate to measure the session length.

[0189]In operation S530, the processor 302 may measure the resistance R_Heater as the heater 406 operates while the heater 406 is activated.

[0190]In operation S540, the processor 302 may calculate the difference in resistance ΔR between the baseline resistance of the heater R₀ stored, for example, in operation S400, and the resistance R_Heater measured in operation S530.

[0191]In operation S550, the processor 302 may determine whether the difference in resistance ΔR between the baseline resistance of the heater R₀ and the measured resistance R_Heater reaches a threshold.

[0192]If the difference in resistance ΔR is less than the threshold, the processor 302 may proceed back to operation S520 and continue to ramp up the power supplied to the heater 406 to continue to increase the temperature of the heater 406.

[0193]If the difference in resistance ΔR is greater than or equal to the threshold, in operation S560, the processor 302 may display a preheat complete indicator on the communication screen of the capsule monitoring system 300. In other example embodiments, rather than utilize the difference in resistance ΔR, the processor 302 may determine whether preheat is complete based on the applied energy.

[0194]Thereafter, in operation S580, the processor 302 may operate the heater 406 for the duration of the session. For example, as discussed in more detail in U.S. application Ser. No. 17/151,409 and U.S. application Ser. No. 18/732,733, the processor 302 may control the power supply to the heater 406 based on a predefined temperature set point and a measurement of the current resistance of the heater 406.

[0195]In operation S590, the processor 302 may monitor the session to determine whether the session is complete.

[0196]The processor 302 may determine that the session is complete in response to the device 100 being turned off, a session end criteria (e.g., maximum puff count or maximum session length) occurring, a capsule fault occurring, or a device fault occurring. For example, the processor 302 may maintain a counter of the number of puffs occurring during a session and may monitor input from an airflow sensor to determine whether any additional puff occurs. If the processor 302 determines that no additional puffs occur prior to expiration of a session time and/or that the number of puffs reaches a maximum puff count (e.g., a last puff), the processor 302 may determine that the session is complete. Further, the processor 302 may also determine that the session is complete when the lid is opened, or the session length measured by the session timer reaches a desired (or, alternatively a predetermined) maximum session length.

[0197]Referring back to FIG. 5, when the processor 302 determines that the session is complete, the processor 302 may proceed to operations S600 and S700.

[0198]As discussed above, after the session concludes, in operation S600, the processor 302 may shut power off to the heater 406 and store the session length measured by the session timer and the energy used during the session in the memory 304 and subsequently, in operation S700, may activate the countdown timer T_countdown.

[0199]The session length measured by the session timer may define the heat duration (e.g., in seconds) that the heater 406 is active during the session measured from the time the heater 406 was activated in, for example, operation S510. The energy used may be the cumulative energy supplied to the heater 406 during the session measured in joules based on the current I and the voltage V measured by the at least one measurement circuit 310 to calculate power (P=I*V) in watts and accumulating the power P over the length of session to store the energy

$E={\sum }_{t=0}^{n}P*\Delta t$

used in joules.

[0200]By storing the heat duration and the energy used and activating the countdown timer T_countdown, the processor 302 may subsequently perform the warm capsule detection to detect if the capsule 214 is ejected and re-inserted into the device 100.

[0201]FIG. 7 illustrates a graph of the curve of a first resistance model alongside the acceptable upper and lower ranges from this curve according to example embodiments.

[0202]Referring to FIG. 7, FIG. 7 demonstrates the alignment of the first cooldown model against several capsules. To generate the first cooldown model, capsules were selected to provide sufficient coverage for the expected capsules utilized during normal use, by selecting various capsules that varied by two factors; mass and amount of initial use, prior to being re-attempted in the device. Both of these factors impact the heat retained within the capsule, and thus impact the resistance cooldown curve. For both factors, the expected minimum and maximum values were used for this multivariate testing, giving visibility to all potential circumstances.

[0203]Based on the results of this experimentation, it was found that the first cooldown model that the processor 302 may utilize to model the difference ΔR between the baseline resistance of the heater R₀ and the measured resistance R_Heater is based on the following equation:

[0205]By applying the time x since cutoff to the above equation, the device 100 may predict an expected resistance range of a warm capsule, and detect whether the capsule 214 is a warm capsule by comparing measured resistance R_Heater of the heater 406 of the capsule 214 to the expected resistance range.

[0206]FIG. 8 illustrates a graph showing that the session length of the previous session impacts the resistance cooldown curve.

[0207]Referring to FIG. 8, measured resistance values of different capsules over different session lengths were recorded. As shown in FIG. 8, ending the sessions at different times results in the capsules having a substantially different energy use values and causes the measured resistance cooldown curve to vary substantially.

[0208]Since the difference in resistance ΔR between the baseline resistance R₀ of the heater and the measured resistance R_Heater varies significantly based on the session length, the first resistance model discussed above with reference to FIG. 7 may not adequately model the difference in resistance ΔR between the baseline resistance R₀ of the heater and the measured resistance R_Heater when the capsule is ejected mid-run during a session having session length greater than the session length threshold. Therefore, as discussed in more detail below, a different model that better predicts the difference in resistance ΔR between the baseline resistance R₀ of the heater and the measured resistance R_Heater may be desired when the capsule 214 has not had enough time to sufficiently cool from prior session that was a relatively long session.

[0209]FIG. 9 illustrates a graph of the curve of a second resistance model according to example embodiments, and FIG. 10 illustrates plots of the second resistance model against the measured resistance delta values ΔR for different capsules over different session lengths according to example embodiments.

[0210]Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, based on the results of experimentation, it was found that, when the length of the prior session is greater than a threshold, a second cooldown model that incorporates an amount of energy “N” input into the capsule 214, in addition to the time since cutoff or capsule ejection “x,” may more accurately model the measured resistance values of FIG. 8.

[0211]Therefore, when the length of the prior session is determined to have been greater a threshold, the processor 302 may model the difference (e.g., the delta) ΔR between the baseline resistance of the heater R₀ and the measured resistance R_Heater using the following equation, which incorporates the amount of energy “N” input into the capsule 214, in addition to the time since cutoff or capsule ejection “x,”:

$\Delta R=\left(b\right)\left(1+e^{-x/a}\right)-{\mathrm{cx}}^{0.1645}$

[0212]Where “ΔR” is the modeled Resistance Delta, “x” is the time (e.g., seconds) since cutoff or capsule ejection, and N is the energy input into the capsule 214. a, b and c may be constants that are based on the energy N such that:

$a=\left(-0.08318*\surd N\right)+19.863$$b=94.0306*\log \left(N+114.7274\right)$$c=23.1623*\log \left(N+566.7084\right)$

[0213]The threshold used to select the resistance model may be determined based on a maximum length of time required for the processor 302 to terminate a new session upon determining that an inserted capsule 214 is a reused capsule, which is a capsule that has been thoroughly used, rather than a new capsule. In some example embodiments, the threshold may be whether the prior session length was less than, for example, 2 seconds.

[0214]While the above formula generates the second resistance model to model the resistance delta based on the energy N input into the capsule, example embodiments are not limited thereto. For example, the second resistance model may be based on other measurable parameters that influence the depletion level of the filler in the capsule 214 such as the last resistance measurement, the last temperature setpoint used, the puff count, total volume drawn, maximum flow rate, the temperature of the device.

[0215]As shown in FIG. 10, for various session lengths, the resistance deltas modeled using the second resistance model may strongly align with the measured values.

[0216]FIG. 11 illustrates a graph showing the Second Cooldown Model applied to different session lengths plotted against the First Cooldown Model according to example embodiments.

[0217]Referring to FIG. 11, as shown in FIG. 11, the first resistance model and the second resistance model may differ substantially. As such, the processor 302 may utilize the first equation associated with the first resistance model when the processor 302 detects that the prior session length is less than the threshold. Otherwise, the processor 302 may utilize the second equation associated with the second resistance model, which incorporates session length into the model.

[0218]As discussed above, in one or more example embodiments, rather than automatically accept the capsule 214 if the resistance R_Heater of the heater 406 falls within acceptable baseline resistance range, the device 100 (e.g., the processor 302) may further compare the measured resistance of the capsule 214 to one or more models associated with the expected resistance of a “warm capsule,” which is a capsule that has not sufficiently cooled down to approximate room temperature after a prior session, to predict whether the capsule 214 is a warm capsule prior to setting the baseline resistance R₀ based on the measured resistance. Therefore, the device may avoid the risk of incorrectly setting the measured baseline resistance R₀ as being substantially greater than the actual baseline resistance R₀, which may damage the device 100.

[0219]The appended claims set forth novel and inventive aspects of the subject matter described above, but the claims may also encompass additional subject matter not specifically recited in detail. For example, certain features, elements, or aspects may be omitted from the claims if not necessary to distinguish the novel and inventive features from what is already known to a person having ordinary skill in the art. Features, elements, and aspects described in the context of some embodiments may also be omitted, combined, or replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent, or similar purpose without departing from the scope of the invention defined by the appended claims.

[0220]Illustrative embodiment 1. A capsule monitoring system for an aerosol-generating device, the capsule monitoring system comprising: at least one processor; and a memory coupled to the at least one processor and storing instructions, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the instructions to cause the capsule monitoring system to, detect whether a capsule is a warm capsule, the warm capsule being a capsule having attributes associated with a previous use of the capsule, and selectively store a detected resistance of a heater as a baseline resistance for the capsule based on whether the capsule is detected as being the warm capsule.

[0221]Illustrative embodiment 2. The capsule monitoring system of illustrative embodiment 1, wherein the heater is within the capsule, and the capsule is one of a plurality of capsules insertable into the aerosol-generating device each having a respective one of a plurality of baseline resistances associated therewith.

[0222]Illustrative embodiment 3. The capsule monitoring system of any one of illustrative embodiments 1-2, wherein a detected resistance of the warm capsule is higher than the detected resistance of a same capsule at a room temperature.

[0223]Illustrative embodiment 4. The capsule monitoring system of any one of illustrative embodiments 1-3, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the instructions to cause the capsule monitoring system to detect whether the capsule is the warm capsule by, determining whether a countdown timer associated with a first session is expired, and detecting that the capsule is not the warm capsule during a second session subsequent to the first session, in response to determining that the countdown timer is expired.

[0224]Illustrative embodiment 5. The capsule monitoring system of any one of illustrative embodiments 1-4, wherein the at least one processor is configured to, detect an end of the first session, and activate the countdown timer associated with the first session, in response to detecting the end of the first session.

[0225]Illustrative embodiment 6. The capsule monitoring system of any one of illustrative embodiments 1-5, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to store a heat duration and an amount of energy N input into the capsule during the first session, in response to detecting the end of the first session.

[0226]Illustrative embodiment 7. The capsule monitoring system any one of illustrative embodiments 1-6, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the instructions to cause the capsule monitoring system to further detect whether the capsule is the warm capsule by, in response to determining that the countdown timer is not expired, predicting an expected resistance range of the warm capsule, comparing the detected resistance of the heater to the expected resistance range of the warm capsule, and detecting whether the capsule is the warm capsule, based on a result of the comparing.

[0227]Illustrative embodiment 8. The capsule monitoring system of any one of illustrative embodiments 1-7, wherein the at least one processor is configured to reject the capsule, in response to detecting that the capsule is the warm capsule.

[0228]Illustrative embodiment 9. The capsule monitoring system of any one of illustrative embodiments 1-8, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the instructions to cause the capsule monitoring system to predict the expected resistance range of the warm capsule by, selecting a resistance model from among a plurality of resistance models based on criteria associated with the first session, and predicting the expected resistance range of the warm capsule using the selected resistance model.

[0229]Illustrative embodiment 10. The capsule monitoring system of any one of illustrative embodiments 1-9, wherein the criteria includes one or more of a length of the first session or a fault of the capsule.

[0230]Illustrative embodiment 11. The capsule monitoring system of any one of illustrative embodiments 1-10, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the instructions to cause the capsule monitoring system to predict the expected resistance range of the warm capsule by, determining whether the length of the first session is less than a session length threshold, selecting a first resistance model from among the plurality of resistance models, in response to the length of the first session being less than the session length threshold, and selecting a second resistance model from among the plurality of resistance models, in response to the length of the first session being greater than or equal to the session length threshold.

[0231]Illustrative embodiment 12. The capsule monitoring system of illustrative embodiment 11, wherein the expected resistance range of the warm capsule predicted by the second resistance model varies based on an amount of energy N input into the capsule.

[0232]Illustrative embodiment 13. The capsule monitoring system of any one of illustrative embodiments 11-12, wherein the first resistance model models a resistance delta ΔR between the baseline resistance and the detected resistance based on: ΔR=1022.854x−0.695−(206.296(−0.0806x)x) wherein x is an amount of time since a cut off of an energy supplied to the capsule.

[0233]Illustrative embodiment 14. The capsule monitoring system of any one of illustrative embodiments 11-13, wherein the second resistance model models a resistance delta ΔR between the baseline resistance and the detected resistance based on: ΔR=(b)(1+e−x/a)−cx0.1645 wherein x is an amount of time since a cut off of an energy supplied to the capsule, and a, b and c are determined based on the amount of energy N supplied into the capsule.

[0234]Illustrative embodiment 15. The capsule monitoring system of any one of illustrative embodiments 1-14, further comprising: a sensor configured to detect at least one puff.

[0235]Illustrative embodiment 16. The capsule monitoring system of any one of illustrative embodiments 1-15, wherein the at least one processor is configured to, determine whether the capsule is inserted into the aerosol-generating device, and detect the detected resistance in response to determining that the capsule is inserted into the aerosol-generating device.

[0236]Illustrative embodiment 17. The capsule monitoring system of any one of illustrative embodiments 1-16, further comprising: a mechanism detection switch configured to be actuated when a lid of the aerosol-generating device is closed, wherein the at least one processor is configured to detect whether the capsule is inserted based on actuation of the mechanism detection switch.

[0237]Illustrative embodiment 18. The capsule monitoring system of illustrative embodiment 17, wherein the lid is configured to secure the capsule within the aerosol-generating device.

[0238]Illustrative embodiment 19. The capsule monitoring system of any one of illustrative embodiments 1-18, wherein the at least one processor is configured to perform a preheat operation by, reading the baseline resistance from the memory, detecting the detected resistance of the heater while supplying a power to the heater, calculating a delta between the baseline resistance and the detected resistance, and determining whether the heater has reached a preheat temperature based on the delta.

[0239]Illustrative embodiment 20. The capsule monitoring system of any one of illustrative embodiments 1-19, wherein the at least one processor is configured to adjust the power supplied to the heater by changing at least one of a proportional term, an integral term, and a derivative term of a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller.

[0240]Illustrative embodiment 21. The capsule monitoring system of any one of illustrative embodiments 19-20 wherein the at least one processor is further configured to, determine whether the detected resistance at a room temperature is within an acceptable resistance range set for the capsule, and perform the preheat operation based on the detected resistance and the baseline resistance, in response to the detected resistance at the room temperature being within the acceptable resistance range.

[0241]Illustrative embodiment 22. The capsule monitoring system of any one of illustrative embodiments 1-21, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to, reject the capsule, in response to the detected resistance at the room temperature being outside the acceptable resistance range.

[0242]Illustrative embodiment 23. The capsule monitoring system of any one of illustrative embodiments 1-22, wherein the capsule comprises a plant material.

[0243]Illustrative embodiment 24. The capsule monitoring system of any one of illustrative embodiments 1-23, wherein the plant material comprises tobacco.

[0244]Illustrative embodiment 25. A method of detecting a baseline resistance of a heater of a capsule for an aerosol-generating device, the method comprising: detecting whether the capsule is a warm capsule, the warm capsule being a capsule having attributes associated with a previous use of the capsule; and selectively storing a detected resistance of the heater as the baseline resistance for the capsule based on whether the capsule is detected as being the warm capsule.

[0245]Illustrative embodiment 26. The method of illustrative embodiment 25, wherein the heater is within the capsule, and the capsule is one of a plurality of capsules insertable into the aerosol-generating device each having a respective one of a plurality of baseline resistances associated therewith.

[0246]Illustrative embodiment 27. The method of any one of illustrative embodiments 25-26, wherein a detected resistance of the warm capsule is a higher than the detected resistance of a same capsule at a room temperature.

[0247]Illustrative embodiment 28. The method of any one of illustrative embodiments 25-27, wherein the detecting whether the capsule is the warm capsule comprises: determining whether a countdown timer associated with a first session is expired; and detecting that the capsule is not the warm capsule during a second session subsequent to the first session, in response to determining that the countdown timer is expired.

[0248]Illustrative embodiment 29. The method of any one of illustrative embodiments 25-28, further comprising: detecting an end of the first session; and activating the countdown timer associated with the first session, in response to detecting the end of the first session.

[0249]Illustrative embodiment 30. The method of any one of illustrative embodiments 25-29, further comprising: storing a heat duration and an amount of energy N input into the capsule during the first session, in response to detecting the end of the first session.

[0250]Illustrative embodiment 31. The method of any one of illustrative embodiments 25-30, wherein the detecting whether the capsule is the warm capsule further comprises: predicting an expected resistance range of the warm capsule, in response to determining that the countdown timer is not expired; comparing the detected resistance of the heater to the expected resistance range of the warm capsule; and detecting whether the capsule is the warm capsule, based on a result of the comparing.

[0251]Illustrative embodiment 32. The method of any one of illustrative embodiments 25-31, further comprising: rejecting the capsule, in response to detecting that the capsule is the warm capsule.

[0252]Illustrative embodiment 33. The method of any one of illustrative embodiments 25-31, wherein the predicting the expected resistance range of the warm capsule comprises: selecting a resistance model from among a plurality of resistance models based on a criteria associated with the first session; and predicting the expected resistance range of the warm capsule using the selected resistance model.

[0253]Illustrative embodiment 34. The method of any one of illustrative embodiments 25-33, wherein the criteria includes one or more of a length of the first session or a fault of the capsule.

[0254]Illustrative embodiment 35. The method of any one of illustrative embodiments 25-34, wherein the predicting the expected resistance range of the warm capsule further comprises: determining whether the length of the first session is less than a session length threshold, selecting a first resistance model from among the plurality of resistance models, in response to the length of the first session being less than the session length threshold, and selecting a second resistance model from among the plurality of resistance models, in response to the length of the first session being greater than or equal to the session length threshold.

[0255]Illustrative embodiment 36. The method of illustrative embodiment 35, wherein the expected resistance range of the warm capsule predicted by the second resistance model varies based on an amount of energy N input into the capsule.

[0256]Illustrative embodiment 37. The method of any one of illustrative embodiments 25-36, wherein the first resistance model models a resistance delta ΔR between the baseline resistance and the detected resistance based on: ΔR=1022.854x−0.695−(206.296(−0.0806x)x) wherein x is an amount of time since a cut off of an energy supplied to the capsule.

[0257]Illustrative embodiment 38. The method of any one of illustrative embodiments 35-37, wherein the second resistance model models a resistance delta ΔR between the baseline resistance and the detected resistance based on: ΔR=(b)(1+e−x/a)−cx0.1645 wherein x is an amount of time since a cut off of an energy supplied to the capsule, N is the amount of the energy supplied into the capsule, and a, b and c are constants determined based on the amount of energy supplied into the capsule.

[0258]Illustrative embodiment 39. The method of any one of illustrative embodiments 25-38, further comprising: detecting, via a sensor, at least one puff.

[0259]Illustrative embodiment 40. The method of any one of illustrative embodiments 25-39, further comprising: determining whether the capsule is inserted into the aerosol-generating device; and detecting the detected resistance in response to determining that the capsule is inserted into the aerosol-generating device.

[0260]Illustrative embodiment 41. The method of any one of illustrative embodiments 25-40, further comprising: detecting whether the capsule is inserted based on actuation of a mechanism detection switch when a lid of the aerosol-generating device is closed.

[0261]Illustrative embodiment 42. The method of illustrative embodiment 41, wherein the lid is configured to secure the capsule within the aerosol-generating device.

[0262]Illustrative embodiment 43. The method of any one of illustrative embodiments 25-42, further comprising: performing a preheat operation by, reading the baseline resistance from a memory, detecting the detected resistance of the heater while supplying a power to the heater, calculating a delta between the baseline resistance and the detected resistance, and determining whether the heater has reached a preheat temperature based on the delta.

[0263]Illustrative embodiment 44. The method of any one of illustrative embodiments 25-43, further comprising: adjusting the power supplied to the heater by changing at least one of a proportional term, an integral term, and a derivative term of a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller.

[0264]Illustrative embodiment 45. The method of any one of illustrative embodiments 43-44, further comprising: determining whether the detected resistance at a room temperature is within an acceptable resistance range set for the capsule; and performing the preheat operation based on the detected resistance and the baseline resistance, in response to the detected resistance at the room temperature being within the acceptable resistance range.

[0265]Illustrative embodiment 46. The method of any one of illustrative embodiments 25-45, further comprising: rejecting the capsule, in response to the detected resistance at the room temperature being outside the acceptable resistance range.

[0266]Illustrative embodiment 47. The method of any one of illustrative embodiments 25-46, wherein the capsule comprises a plant material.

[0267]Illustrative embodiment 48. The method of any one of illustrative embodiments 25-37, wherein the plant material comprises tobacco.

[0268]Illustrative embodiment 49. An aerosol-generating device, comprising: a capsule including a housing containing an aerosol-forming substrate; a heater configured to heat the aerosol-forming substrate; a mouthpiece configured to deliver an aerosol; and a capsule monitoring system including, at least one processor, and a memory coupled to the at least one processor and storing instructions, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the instructions to cause the capsule monitoring system to, detect whether the capsule is a warm capsule, the warm capsule being a capsule having attributes associated with a previous use of the capsule, and selectively store a detected resistance of the heater as a baseline resistance for the capsule based on whether the capsule is detected as being the warm capsule.

[0269]Illustrative embodiment 50. The aerosol-generating device of illustrative embodiment 49, wherein the heater is within the capsule, and the capsule is one of a plurality of capsules insertable into the aerosol-generating device each having a respective one of a plurality of baseline resistances associated therewith.

[0270]Illustrative embodiment 51. The aerosol-generating device of any one of illustrative embodiments 49-50, wherein a detected resistance of the warm capsule is higher than the detected resistance of a same capsule at a room temperature.

[0271]Illustrative embodiment 52. The aerosol-generating device of any one of illustrative embodiments 49-51, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the instructions to cause the capsule monitoring system to detect whether the capsule is the warm capsule by, determining whether a countdown timer associated with a first session is expired, and detecting that the capsule is not the warm capsule during a second session subsequent to the first session, in response to determining that the countdown timer is expired.

[0272]Illustrative embodiment 53. The aerosol-generating device of any one of illustrative embodiments 49-52, wherein the at least one processor is configured to, detect an end of the first session, and activate the countdown timer associated with the first session, in response to detecting the end of the first session.

[0273]Illustrative embodiment 54. The aerosol-generating device of any one of illustrative embodiments 49-53, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to store a heat duration and an amount of energy N input into the capsule during the first session, in response to detecting the end of the first session.

[0274]Illustrative embodiment 55. The aerosol-generating device of any one of illustrative embodiments 49-54, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the instructions to cause the capsule monitoring system to further detect whether the capsule is the warm capsule by, in response to determining that the countdown timer is not expired, predicting an expected resistance range of the warm capsule, comparing the detected resistance of the heater to the expected resistance range of the warm capsule, and detecting whether the capsule is the warm capsule, based on a result of the comparing.