Abstract: An aerosol-generating device is provided for heating an aerosol-forming substrate to generate an inhalable aerosol during a usage session, the aerosol-generating device including: control electronics; and an outer lighting array partially or wholly surrounding an inner lighting array, the control electronics being coupled to the outer and inner lighting arrays and are configured to: i) selectively activate one of the outer and inner lighting arrays to generate a first predetermined light emission conveying first data indicative of a state of the aerosol-generating device, and ii) selectively activate the other of the outer and inner lighting arrays to generate a second predetermined light emission conveying second data indicative of a state of the aerosol-generating device, in which the first data and the second data are different from one another.

Abstract: A method of operating an aerosol-generating device for generating aerosol from an aerosol-forming substrate during a usage session is provided, the aerosol-generating device including a power supply arranged to supply power to a heater during the usage session, the method including: using control electronics of the aerosol-generating device to associate a puff applied in the usage session with a corresponding target operating temperature for the heater based on a cumulative puff count of the applied puff in the usage session and on a time interval between the applied puff and an earlier puff applied in the usage session, and for the applied puff, control the supply of power from the power supply in order to adjust a temperature of the heater to the target operating temperature associated with the applied puff.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating device for heating an aerosol-forming substrate to form an inhalable aerosol when heated, the device including: a cavity configured to removably receive at least a portion of an article, including the substrate to be heated; an electrical heating arrangement including an electronic circuitry and a heating element operatively coupled to the electronic circuitry configured to heat the substrate when the article is received in the cavity; and a controller including a temperature sensor configured to output a signal indicative of a temperature or a temperature increase of at least one portion of the electronic circuitry during operation of the heating arrangement, the controller being configured to detect a presence, absence, or displacement of the article in the cavity in response to the signal indicating that the temperature or the temperature increase has breached a predefined temperature threshold or a predefined temperature increase threshold, respectively.

Abstract: A method of operating an aerosol-generating device is provided, the device including a power supply to supply power to generate the aerosol, and a controller, the method including: monitoring a parameter indicative of aerosol generation during operation of the device; and analysing the monitored parameter to identify a user puff defined by a puff start and end, the analysing including calculating first and second characteristics of the monitored parameter, and analysing the first and the second characteristics to determine the puff start and end, the parameter indicative of aerosol generation representing power supplied by the power supply, the first and the second characteristics respectively being a first and a second moving average value of the monitored parameter computed on a first and a second time window having a first and a second time window duration, the second time window duration being different from the first time window duration.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating device for generating an aerosol by inductive heating of an aerosol-forming substrate is provided, the device including: a device housing including a cavity to removably receive the substrate; an inductive heating arrangement including an induction coil to generate a varying magnetic field within the cavity and being arranged around at least a portion of the cavity; and a flux concentrator arranged around at least a portion of the coil and being configured to distort the field of the arrangement towards the cavity, the flux concentrator including a multi-layer flux concentrator foil having a magnetic layer laminated with at least a first support layer, the magnetic layer including a plurality of separated fragments of a soft magnetic alloy and being arranged in a pattern including a plurality of crack centers, and a plurality of cracks spread radially outwards from each crack center in a web-shaped pattern.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating rod segment is provided, including: a rod-shaped susceptor casing; and an aerosol-forming gel contained in the rod-shaped susceptor casing, in which the rod-shaped susceptor casing includes a bottom, a side wall, and an opening arranged opposite the bottom, in which the aerosol-forming gel is retained inside the rod-shaped susceptor casing in axial direction of the aerosol-generating rod segment by at least one positive locking means, in which the side wall of the rod-shaped susceptor casing is corrugated, in which at least one of the at least one positive locking means is an inwardly directed seam of the rod-shaped susceptor casing arranged adjacent to an end section of the rod-shaped susceptor casing, the end section being arranged opposite the bottom of the rod-shaped susceptor casing, and in which the inwardly directed seam is formed by an inwardly bent end portion of the side wall of the rod-shaped susceptor casing.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating device is provided for generating an aerosol by inductive heating of an aerosol-forming substrate, the device including: a device housing including a cavity to removably receive the substrate; first and second induction coils arranged and configured to generate an alternating magnetic field within first and second sections of the cavity, respectively; and a control circuit to selectively drive the first and the second coils to selectively generate an alternating magnetic field within the first and the second sections, respectively, the circuit including: a first LC resonator circuit including the first coil and a first capacitor, and a second LC resonator circuit including the second coil and a second capacitor, the first and the second circuits having a first and a second resonance frequency, respectively, and a driving oscillator circuit including a common oscillator coil to selectively generate an alternating magnetic oscillator field. An aerosol-generating system is also provided.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating system is provided, including: an aerosol-generating article including an aerosol-forming substrate, and an aerosol-generating device having a housing, a heating chamber defining a heating zone and sized to receive the substrate therein, an induction element around the zone, a power supply, and a controller connected to the element to provide an alternating electric current to the element to generate an alternating magnetic field within the zone, the element being controlled to sequentially provide a first alternating magnetic field having a first frequency for a first period of time followed by a second alternating magnetic field having a second frequency for a second period of time, the element being first and second coils, the first and the second coils being actuatable to provide the first and the second fields, respectively, and the article and the chamber being arranged so the article is partially received within the chamber.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating article for producing an inhalable aerosol upon heating is provided, the aerosol-generating article including: a rod of aerosol-generating substrate; and an elongate susceptor arranged longitudinally within the aerosol-generating substrate, the susceptor extending all the way to a downstream end of the rod of aerosol-generating substrate, the susceptor having a thickness from about 55 micrometers to about 65 micrometers, and a ratio between a length of the susceptor and an overall length of the aerosol-generating article being from about 0.2 to about 0.35.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating device is provided, including: an induction heater configured to heat an aerosol-forming substrate and including an induction coil and a heating element, the heating element being arrangeable within the induction coil, the induction coil including a first side opening along a longitudinal length of the induction coil, and the first side opening being configured to enable access to the heating element; and a housing, the induction coil being arranged within the housing, and the housing including a second side opening, which corresponds to the first side opening of the induction coil within the housing. A method for manufacturing the aerosol-generating device is also provided.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating device is provided, including: a housing having a chamber, an induction coil around at least part of the chamber; a heating compartment to receive an aerosol-generating article, being detachably insertable into the chamber, and including a cavity to receive the article; and a heating element arrangeable within and extending into the cavity in a longitudinal direction, configured to penetrate an aerosol-forming substrate included in the article and received in the cavity, the compartment further including a first open end to receive the article, and a second, base end opposite the first open end, the first open end and the base end connected by side surfaces including openings and locking elements, and the chamber including recesses corresponding to the locking elements to facilitate a snap-fit when the compartment is inserted into the chamber, the compartment further including a press button to allow release of the snap-fit connection.

Abstract: An inductive heater assembly for an aerosol-generating device is provided, the assembly including: at least one inductor coil configured to generate a varying magnetic field when a varying electric current flows through the coil; at least one susceptor arranged to be penetrated by the magnetic field generated by the coil to heat the susceptor; at least one temperature sensor arranged to determine a temperature of the susceptor, the temperature sensor includes first and second resistive sensing elements, the first element being connected to the second element, and the first element being positioned relative to the second element such that a current induced in the first element by the magnetic field opposes a current induced in the second element by the magnetic field. An aerosol-generating device including the inductive heater assembly, control circuitry, and a power source, is also provided.

Abstract: There is provided a method of controlling an aerosol-generating system including an aerosol-generating device including a cavity to receive an aerosol-forming substrate, an inductive heating arrangement including an inductive heating element including a susceptor heatable by penetration with a varying magnetic field to heat the substrate, first and second inductor coils, and a power supply; the method including initiating heating of the substrate in the cavity by a first varying current in the first coil to generate a first varying magnetic field that heats a first portion of the element, and controlling the first current to increase a temperature of the first portion with a first profile; and subsequently driving a second varying current in the second coil to generate a second varying magnetic field that heats a second portion of the element, and controlling the second current to increase a temperature of the second portion with a second profile.

Abstract: An inductive heating element for an aerosol-generating system is provided, the inductive heating element including: a first susceptor, the first susceptor being a tubular susceptor defining an inner cavity configured to receive an aerosol-forming substrate; a second susceptor, the second susceptor being a tubular susceptor defining an inner cavity configured to receive aerosol-forming substrate; and a separation between the first susceptor and the second susceptor, the separation thermally insulating the first susceptor from the second susceptor. An inductive heating arrangement, an aerosol-generating device, and an aerosol-generating system are also provided.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating device to heat an aerosol-forming substrate configured to form an inhalable aerosol when heated, including: a cavity to removably receive an article including the substrate and an inductively heatable susceptor to heat the substrate; a DC power supply; an inductive heating arrangement connected to the power supply and to generate an alternating magnetic field within the cavity to inductively heat the susceptor in a heating operation when the article is received in the cavity; and control circuitry to generate power pulses for intermittently powering on the arrangement, measure for each power pulse a property of the arrangement, detect whether a change of the property has occurred as compared previous power pulses due to the susceptor becoming present within or absent from the cavity when the article is inserted or extracted, and detect insertion or extraction of the article in response to detecting of a change of the property.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating device is provided, including: an inductive heating arrangement to heat an aerosol-forming substrate and including: a susceptor arrangement heatable by penetration with a varying magnetic field, a first LC circuit having a resonance frequency and including a first inductor coil and capacitor, and a second LC circuit having the same resonance frequency and including a second inductor coil and capacitor; and a controller to drive the first and second circuits with respective first and second currents for generating respective first and second alternating magnetic fields for heating respective first and second portions of the susceptor, supply the first and currents with the resonance frequency a different frequency, respectively, supply the first current to the first circuit during a first phase to increase the first portion to a first operating temperature, and supply the first current with resonance frequency of the circuits during the first phase.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating device for generating an aerosol by inductive heating of an aerosol-forming substrate is provided, the device including: a device housing including a cavity configured to removably receive the substrate to be heated; an inductive heating arrangement including at least one induction coil configured to generate an alternating magnetic field within the cavity, the coil being arranged around at least a portion of the cavity; and a flux concentrator arranged around at least a portion of the induction coil and configured to distort the alternating magnetic field of the at least one inductive heating arrangement towards the cavity, the flux concentrator including or being made of a flux concentrator foil, and the flux concentrator foil including at least one of a permalloy or a nano-crystalline soft magnetic alloy. An aerosol-generating system including the aerosol-generating device and an aerosol-generating article is also provided.

Abstract: A method of controlling an aerosol-generating system is provided, the system including: an inductive heating arrangement to heat an aerosol-forming substrate and including an inductive heating element including a susceptor to heat the substrate, and first and second inductor coils; a power supply to supply power to the arrangement; and the method including: driving a first varying current in the first coil to generate a first varying magnetic field and controlling the first current such that a temperature of the first portion of the heating element increases to a first operating temperature; and driving a second varying current in the second coil to generate a second varying magnetic field and controlling the second current such that a temperature of the second portion of the heating element increases to a second operating temperature, the second current is not driven when the first current is driven and vice versa.

Abstract: An aerosol-generating device is provided, including: a device cavity having proximal and distal ends, the proximal end of the cavity to receive an aerosol-generating article; an inductive heating arrangement to heat the substrate and including: a susceptor arrangement heatable by penetration with a varying magnetic field to heat the substrate, a first LC circuit having a first resonance frequency and including a first inductor coil towards the proximal end and a first capacitor, and a second LC circuit having a second resonance frequency different from the first resonance frequency and including a second inductor coil towards the distal end and a second capacitor, and having a different number of turns than the first coil; and a controller to initiate heating of the substrate by driving a first varying current in the first coil and subsequently driving a second varying current in the second coil.

Abstract: An electronic aerosol-generating device includes a housing extending between first and second ends along a longitudinal axis. The second end of the housing defines a cavity for receiving a consumable containing an aerosol generating substrate. The device further includes a heating component comprising a heating element extending along the longitudinal axis within the cavity and configured to penetrate into the aerosol generating substrate when the consumable is inserted into the cavity. The heating element comprises a material having a Curie temperature of less than 500° C. The device also includes an inductor comprising an inductor coil positioned to transfer magnetic energy to the heating element. The inductor is configured to induce eddy currents and/or hysteresis losses in the heating element. The device further includes a power supply operably connected to the inductor and control electronics operably connected to the power supply and configured to control heating of the heating element.