A personal consumer product having an energy emitting element in selective electrical communication with a power source is provided. Thermal control circuitry is used to isolate the energy emitting element from the power source when a temperature of the energy emitting element exceeds a threshold. The thermal control circuitry includes a primary thermal control circuit and a redundant thermal control circuit. Methods for controlling the temperature of an energy emitting element of a personal consumer product are also provided.

A model-based control method includes: (a) acquiring temperature control data including temperature data of each of a plurality of zones of a temperature control member provided in a processing apparatus, temperature of each of the plurality of zones being individually controllable; (b) for each zone, specifying a temperature of another zone that is weight-averaged by a weighting coefficient determined according to a magnitude of heat transfer with the another zone; (c) for each zone, specifying a parameter of a state-space model of multi-input/single-output using the specified temperature of the another zone and the temperature control data; (d) creating a state-space model of multi-input/multi-output by assigning the specified parameter of the state-space model of multi-input/single-output to each element of the state-space model of multi-input/multi-output; and (e) controlling the temperature of each of the plurality of zones of the temperature control member using the state-space model of multi-input/multi-output.

Disclosed is a portable radiant heating device that has a base, a radiant heat source mounted in a tiltable reflector, and a safety interlock device located in the base. The safety interlock uses a pressure-sensitive foot that prevents the heater from producing infrared heat when not in contact with a mounting surface. The safety interlock device also prevents the heater from producing infrared heat when the reflector is not tilted so as to prevent excessive amounts of infrared heat from being directed towards the mounting surface.

A heater control device includes a triac connected in series between an alternating-current power supply and a heater, the triac including a first main electrode, a second main electrode, and a gate electrode; a phototriac coupler configured to transmit a heater trigger signal to the gate electrode of the triac; a first resistor and a second resistor each of which is connected in series to the phototriac coupler and configured to limit current in accordance with a phase control enable signal indicative of a period of phase control; and a resistor selection circuit configured to select one of the first resistor and the second resistor and connect the selected resistor to the second main electrode of the triac. The first resistor and the second resistor have different rated powers and different breakabilities from each other.

An electronic smoking device includes an elongate housing sleeve accommodating at least part of the following components: a battery as an electric power source powering an electrically activatable atomizer including an electric heater adapted to atomize a liquid supplied from a reservoir to provide an aerosol exiting from the atomizer; a puff detector adapted to indicate an aerosol inhaling puff; and control electronics connected to the puff detector and adapted to control the heater of the atomizer. At least part of the battery, the puff detector, the control electronics and/or the atomizer is mounted on an elongate insert permitting lateral access and fitting into the housing sleeve via one of the ends of the housing sleeve.

A method for regulating a heater including at least one heating element having a temperature-dependent electrical resistance is disclosed. The method may include determining, with a regulating unit of the heater, a current heating behaviour of the heating element based on a time profile of the resistance of the heating element. The heating element may exhibit (i) an NTC heating behaviour at temperatures below a transition temperature, (ii) a PTC heating behaviour at temperatures above the transition temperature, and (iii) a transition between the NTC heating behaviour and the PTC heating behaviour at the transition temperature and a resistance minimum. The method may further include determining, with the regulating unit, at least one input parameter for the heating element based on the current heating behaviour. The method may also include regulating, with the regulating unit, the heating element via the at least one input parameter.

A heater system includes a plurality of heater cores defining zones, a plurality of power pins extending through each of the heater cores and made of different conductive materials, and at least one jumper connected between two of the plurality of power pins being made of dissimilar materials. The jumper is in communication with a controller to obtain a temperature reading of the heater system proximate the jumper.

An aerosol generating system includes a container (150) housing an aerosol generating substrate and a product identifying compound (155) associated with the container (150). The system further includes an electronic article (100) configured to receive the container (150). The electronic article (100) includes control electronics (200) and an electrochemical sensor switch (10, 20) operably coupled to the control electronics (200). The electrochemical switch (10, 20) is configured to change from a first state to a second state when the product identifying compound (155) interacts with the electrochemical sensor. The electrochemical sensor switch (10, 20) has a different conductivity in the first state than in the second state. The control electronics (200) are configured to cause the device to generate an aerosol from the aerosol generating substrate when the electrochemical sensor switch (10, 20) changes states due to interaction with the product identifying compound (155).

A power controller circuit comprises a controller and a bi-directional switching assembly coupled to a sensor configured to sense at least one energy parameter of an energy flowing through the bi-directional switching assembly. The bi-directional switching assembly comprises a controllable switch. The controller is configured to control the controllable switch into a conduction mode during a first portion of an energy cycle of electrical energy supplied to the bi-directional switching assembly to cause the energy to flow through the bi-directional switching assembly. Via the sensor, the controller monitors the at least one energy parameter of the energy flowing through the bi-directional switching assembly. The controller controls the first controllable switch into a non-conduction mode based on an amount of the at least one energy parameter of the energy flowing through the bi-directional switching assembly during the first portion.

Various examples are provided of low power, rapid response on-device heaters and methods of calibrating the device within a linear operating region, which is reached and maintained through control of the on-device heater. A system to be calibrated includes a sensor to measure the temperature and relative humidity of the system, a heater coupled to the sensor, a heater controller coupled to the heater to control the heater to heat the system, and a processor coupled to the sensor and the heater controller. The processor controls the heater based on temperature measured by the sensor to perform a calibration process for the system including calculating a calibration factor, and to determine whether to abort the calibration process based on relative humidity measured by the sensor indicating that the system is outside the linear operating region.