EA045591B1 - PLUGING AND POWER FITTING DIAGRAMS FOR EVAPORATORY DEVICES - Google Patents

Description

Cross reference to related applications

This patent application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.

62/590,518, filed November 24, 2017, and US Provisional Patent Application No. 62/593,801, filed December 2017, both entitled Puff Sensing and Power Circuitry for Vaporizer Devices, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

This application is related to the following co-owned patents and/or patent applications, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Various nicotine compositions having features that can be used with implementations of the present invention are described in one or more of US 2014/0345631 A1 and WO 2015/084544 A1. Evaporative devices with features that may be relevant to implementations of the present invention are described in one or more of the publications/patents US 2015/0150308 A1, US 2016/0338412 A1, US 2016/0345631A1, US 9,408,416, US 2013/0312742 A1, US 2017 /0079331 A1, US 2016/0262459А1, US 2014/0366898 A1, US 2015/0208729 A1, US 2016/0374399А1, US 2016/0366947 A1, US 2017/0035115 A1, US 9,549,573 , US 2017/0095005 A1 and US 2016/ 0157524 A1 and applications under consideration No. 15/605,890.

Technical field

The subject matter described herein relates to vaporizer devices, such as, for example, portable personal vaporizer devices for generating a respirable aerosol from one or more vaporizable materials.

State of the art

Vaporizer devices, which may also be referred to as e-vaporizer devices or e-smoking devices, can be used to deliver an aerosol (also sometimes called vapor) containing one or more active ingredients through inhalation of the aerosol by the user of the vaporizer device. Electronic cigarettes, which may also be called e-cigarettes, are a class of vaporizer devices that are typically battery-powered and that can be used to simulate the feeling of smoking a cigarette, but without burning tobacco or other substances. When using a vaporization device, the user inhales an aerosol, commonly referred to as steam, which may be generated by a heating element that vaporizes (which generally refers to causing at least partial transition of a liquid or solid into a gas phase) the vaporized material, which may be liquid, solution, solid, wax, or may be in any other form compatible with the use of the particular vaporizer device.

To receive the inhalable aerosol generated by the vaporizer device, the user may, in some examples, activate the vaporizer device by puffing, pressing a button, or some other method. A puff, in normal use of the term (and also as used herein), refers to inhalation by the user in such a way that it causes a volume of air to be drawn into the vaporizer device such that an inhalable aerosol is generated by mixing the vaporized vaporized material with the air. A typical method by which a vaporizer device generates a respirable aerosol from a vaporized material involves heating the vaporized material in a flash chamber (also sometimes referred to as a heating chamber) to cause the vaporized material to enter the gas (vapor) phase. A flash chamber generally refers to an area or volume in a vaporization device within which a heat source (e.g., heat transfer, convection, and/or radiant) heats the vaporized material to create a mixture of air and vaporized material that is in some equilibrium between gaseous and condensed ( for example, liquid and/or solid) phases.

Some components of the gas-phase evaporated material may condense after evaporation due to cooling and/or pressure changes to form thereby an aerosol, which includes particles (in the gas and/or solid phase) suspended in at least some volume of air drawn into the evaporation device by tightening. If the vaporized material includes a semi-volatile mixture (for example, a mixture such as nicotine, which has a relatively low vapor pressure at inhalation temperatures and pressures), then the inhaled aerosol may include this semi-volatile mixture in some local equilibrium between gaseous and condensed phases.

The term vaporizer device as used herein, consistent with the present invention, generally refers to portable self-contained devices that are convenient for personal use. Typically, such devices are controlled by one or more switches, buttons, touch devices, or other user input functionality and the like. (which may generally be referred to as controls) located on the evaporator, although some devices have recently become available that can wirelessly communicate with an external controller (e.g. smartphone, smart watch, other wearable electronic devices, etc.) . Control, in this context, refers generally to the ability to influence one or more of a variety of operating parameters, which may include, without limitation, any control that turns the heater on and/or off, setting the mini the minimum and/or maximum temperature to which the heater reaches during operation, the various games or other interactive features that the user may access on the device, and/or other operations.

The essence of the invention

In some aspects of the present invention, requirements associated with the presence of liquid vaporizable materials in or near certain susceptible components of an electronic vaporizer device can be met by incorporating one or more of the means described herein, or comparable/equivalent approaches understood by those skilled in the art. .

In one aspect, the vaporizer device may include an absolute pressure sensor disposed to detect a first air pressure along an air flow path connecting air outside the vaporizer device to a vapor chamber of the vaporizer device and a mouthpiece of the vaporizer device, and an additional absolute pressure sensor located with the ability to detect a second air pressure, which is the ambient air pressure that acts on the evaporation device. The controller may be configured to perform operations that include receiving a first signal from an absolute pressure sensor representing a first pressure and a second signal from an additional absolute pressure sensor representing a second pressure, determining that a tightening is occurring based on at least a first signal and a second signal (wherein the puff includes air flowing along the air flow path in response to the user drawing through the mouthpiece) and causing an electrical current to be supplied to the resistive heating element of the vaporizer device in response to said determination. The applied electrical current causes the evaporated material to heat to form a respirable aerosol in the air flowing along the airflow path.

In another related aspect, the method may include the step of receiving a first signal from an evaporator device absolute pressure sensor, wherein the first signal represents a first pressure, and the step of receiving a second signal from an additional evaporator device absolute pressure sensor, wherein the second signal represents a second pressure. The absolute pressure sensor is positioned or positioned such that it is exposed to a first air pressure that occurs along an air flow path connecting air from outside the vaporizer body to the vapor chamber of the vaporizer and the mouthpiece of the vaporizer. The additional absolute pressure sensor is positioned or positioned such that it detects a second air pressure, which is the ambient air pressure that is applied to the evaporator device. The method may further include the step of determining that a puff is occurring based on at least a first signal and a second signal (wherein the puff includes air flowing along an air flow path in response to the user drawing through the mouthpiece) and the step of causing electrical current to be supplied to the resistive heating element of the vaporizer device in response to said determination step.

Optionally, one or more of the following features may be included in any possible combination. The operations may further comprise receiving a third signal from the additional sensor and adapting a determination that a puff is occurring based on the third signal. The additional sensor may include an accelerometer or other motion detection device. The airflow path may include an opening of a specific size, which may be known and precisely defined, and the absolute pressure sensor may provide a measurement of the differential pressure that results from the user's tightening.

In some aspects, the operations performed by the controller further comprise calculating air velocity and volumetric flow rate, determining the amount of evaporated material entering the vapor phase per unit time, and controlling the amount of respirable aerosol generated for a given volume of air based on said calculation and said determination. . Operations may further include controlling the temperature of the heater, and/or providing a consistent aerosol concentration at different puff intensities. In still some other aspects, the operations performed by the controller further comprise applying a correction to the ambient pressure to correct the effect of atmospheric pressure on the amount of air flow. The operations may further include prompting the user to take a pattern puff or sequence of pattern puffs, and/or describing or storing information regarding the relative intensity of the user's puff. In yet other aspects, the operations may further include varying the amount of pressure difference required to indicate a puff based on the relative intensity of the user's puff to better detect actual puffs and discard false positives when detecting the user's puffs.

In another aspect, a vaporizer device having a vaporizer body shell and an inner frame may include a spacer configured to prevent

- 2 045591 the passage of liquids between a volume within a cartridge receptacle of a vaporizer body and a volume within a shell of a vaporizer body containing internal electronic circuitry (possibly including one or more electronic components, circuit boards, etc.) and/or source nutrition. The spacer may include connecting means by which a pressure sensing device that is coupled to a portion of the internal electronic circuitry is exposed to air pressure in the cartridge receptacle. Improved sealing between the gasket and the vaporizer body can be achieved by providing a reinforcement rib on the gasket between the vaporizer shell and the internal frame of the vaporizer body.

In another aspect, the vaporizer device may include an electrical contact pin for electrical connection with a cartridge contact configured to be received by insertion into a cartridge receptacle of the vaporizer device body. The electrical contact pin may include a liquid resistant means.

Systems and methods compatible with this approach are described, as well as articles that contain a tangible machine-readable medium configured to be inscribed on one or more machines (e.g., computers, microcontrollers, etc., which may include processors or general and/or special purpose circuits, etc.) perform the operations described here. Likewise, computer systems are also described, which may include a processor and memory associated with the processor. The memory may include one or more programs that cause the processor to perform one or more of the operations described herein.

Details of one or more embodiments of the invention described herein are set forth in the accompanying drawings and description below. Other features and advantages of the invention described herein will become apparent from the description and drawings, as well as from the claims.

Description of drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included in and form a part of this specification, show certain aspects of the invention disclosed herein and, together with the description, help explain some of the principles associated with the disclosed implementations. In the drawings FIGS. 1A is a schematic diagram showing features of a vaporization device having a cartridge and a vaporization device body compatible with implementations of the present invention;

fig. 1B shows an image providing a top view of a vaporizer device with a cartridge separated from a cartridge receptacle on the body of a vaporizer device compatible with the present invention;

fig. 1C shows an image providing a top view of a vaporizer device with a cartridge inserted into a cartridge receptacle on the body of a vaporizer device compatible with the present invention;

fig. 1D shows an image providing an isometric perspective top view of a vaporizer device with a cartridge inserted into a cartridge receptacle on the body of a vaporizer device compatible with embodiments of the present invention;

fig. 1E shows an image providing an isometric top perspective view, from the mouthpiece side, of a cartridge suitable for use with a vaporizer device body compatible with embodiments of the present invention;

fig. 1F shows an image providing an isometric top perspective view of the opposite side of a cartridge suitable for use with a vaporization device body compatible with embodiments of the present invention;

fig. 2A is a schematic diagram illustrating features of a cartridgeless vaporizer device compatible with implementations of the present invention;

fig. 2B shows an image providing an isometric perspective side view of a cartridgeless vaporizer device;

fig. 2C shows an image providing an isometric perspective view from the bottom of a cartridgeless vaporizer device;

fig. 3A is a view illustrating a top view of a body of the evaporation device;

fig. 3B is a view illustrating a top sectional view of a body of an evaporation device having a gasket;

fig. 3C is a view illustrating another sectional top view of a body of an evaporation device having a spacer;

fig. 4 shows an image providing an isometric view of the body of the evaporation device;

fig. 5 shows an isometric view of a circuit board for an evaporative device including an analog pressure sensor;

fig. 6 shows an isometric perspective view of a circuit board for an evaporative device including an absolute pressure sensor compatible with embodiments of the present invention;

- 3 045591 fig. 7A is an image illustrating a top view of a body of an evaporation device compatible with embodiments of the present invention;

fig. 7B is an image illustrating a top sectional view of a body of an evaporation device having a gasket compatible with embodiments of the present invention;

fig. 7C is a view illustrating another top sectional view of a body of an evaporation device having a gasket compatible with embodiments of the present invention;

fig. 8 is an image providing an isometric perspective side/top view of the body of the evaporation device showing features of a gasket compatible with embodiments of the present invention;

fig. 9 shows an isometric perspective view of the internal components of the body of the evaporation device;

fig. 10 shows an isometric perspective view of a pin structure that may be included as an electrical contact in the body of a vaporizer device compatible with embodiments of the present invention;

fig. 11 is a circuit diagram illustrating features of pressure sensors compatible with implementations of the present invention; and fig. 12 is a flowchart illustrating features of a method compatible with implementations of the present invention.

Where appropriate, like reference numerals designate like structures, means, or elements.

Detailed description

Examples of vaporizer devices compatible with embodiments of the present invention include e-vaporizers, e-cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and the like.

As noted above, such vaporizers are typically hand-held devices that heat (by convection, heat transfer, radiation, or some combination thereof) the material being vaporized to provide an inhalable dose of the material. The vaporizable material used with the vaporizer may, in some examples, be provided with a cartridge (which may refer to the part of the vaporizer that contains the vaporizable material in a reservoir or other container, and which may be refillable when empty or disposable for installation of a new cartridge containing additional evaporated material of the same or different type). Optionally, the vaporizer device may be any of a cartridge vaporizer device, a cartridgeless vaporizer device, or a universal vaporizer device that can be used with or without a cartridge. For example, a universal vaporizer device may include a heating chamber (e.g., an oven) configured to receive vaporizable material directly in the heating chamber, as well as receive a cartridge having a reservoir, or the like. to contain the evaporated material. In various implementations, the vaporizer may be configured to be used with a liquid vaporizable material (e.g., a carrier solution in which the active and/or inactive ingredient(s) are suspended or contained in a solution or liquid form of the vaporizable material itself) or a solid vaporizable material . The solid vaporizer material may include a plant-based material or a non-plant-based material that emits some of the solid vaporizer material as vaporizer material (e.g., such that some of the material remains as waste after emitting the vaporizer material for inhalation by the user ), or optionally may be a solid form of the vaporized material itself, so that all of the solid material can ultimately be vaporized for inhalation. The liquid vaporizable material likewise may be capable of being completely vaporized or may include some portion of the liquid material that remains after all the respirable material has been consumed.

Implementations of the present invention may provide advantages over currently available approaches for activating a vaporizer device in response to a user's puff. Alternatively or additionally, implementations of the present invention may improve the functionality of such devices with respect to long-term performance, reduced maintenance requirements, and the like. Other advantages, whether expressly described herein or implied or otherwise inherent in light of the description provided, may also generally be related to the avoidance of difficulties that may arise in evaporative devices, in particular those evaporative devices that are based on a system that includes a cartridge containing (or configured to contain) a material to be vaporized, and a vaporization device body to which and/or onto which the cartridge can be removably attached. In some examples, a removably attachable cartridge may have means (which may, but may not necessarily include some portion or all of the cartridge body) of the cartridge that is received by insertion by the cartridge receiver onto the body of the vaporizer device. Other implementations of the removably attachable cartridge and vaporizer body may include a portion of the vaporizer body received by insertion by a receiver on the cartridge. One more

- 4 045591 other forms of removably attached cartridge and vaporizer body may include a threaded connection in which an externally threaded portion of the vaporizer body mates with a corresponding internally threaded portion of the cartridge, and/or in which an externally threaded portion of the cartridge mates with a corresponding part with internal thread of the body of the evaporation device.

As noted above, some vaporizer devices include a cartridge receptacle on the vaporizer body that receives, by insertion, at least a portion of a cartridge containing liquid vaporizable material. Other evaporative device configurations may include one or more of the general ideas described herein, which, in some implementations, relate to one or more improved gaskets and/or other sealing means (e.g., for parts of the evaporative device body), improved corrosion resistance of electrical contacts, improved approaches for fixing puffs, etc. Such improvements are more generally applicable to vaporizer devices in general, including, in some examples, those vaporizer devices that differ in one or more respects from the vaporizer devices described below as part of the description and illustration of various inventive aspects of the present invention. . Those skilled in the art will readily understand how to apply these ideas to obtain various benefits, which may include, but are not limited to, the benefits listed herein.

Possible forms of failure of a vaporizer device may include complete failure to turn on or otherwise operate, intermittent or malfunctioning puff lock, premature discharge, or partial or complete charging failure of a power source contained within the vaporizer device, including the vaporizer device body and etc. Some of these failure modes may be caused or otherwise accelerated by exposure of one or more components of the vaporizer device to liquid vaporized material. For example, certain parts of the vaporizer device, such as circuit boards, power supply, internal and/or external electrical contacts or circuits that are part of the charging circuit and/or power supply, etc., may be susceptible to damage from moisture and /or corrosion resulting from exposure to liquid vaporized material and/or other liquids such as condensed water, etc. To prevent or at least reduce such damage to internal components, the vaporizer device may include one or more gaskets or other sealing means configured to act as a barrier to liquid penetration into a portion of the vaporizer device containing moisture-sensitive components. The barrier function of such a sealing means may be deteriorated due to various factors, such as, for example, improper handling of the vaporizer device by the user (for example, excessive bending or bending of the body of the vaporizer device when sitting on it or while it is in a pants pocket, etc., falling devices onto a solid surface, etc.), temperature changes that cause displacement (for example, due to thermal expansion and/or contraction effects) of a gasket or other sealing means, the interaction of materials used in the construction of the gasket or other sealing means with one or more chemical components of the evaporated material, and/or other environmental factors, etc.

One or more forms of failure, such as intermittent or malfunctioning puff lock, failure to provide steam, complete inoperability of the vaporizer, etc., may also or alternatively be caused by damage to the electrical contacts completing the circuit between the body of the vaporizer and the cartridge. For example, vaporizer devices whose functionality includes connecting a cartridge containing a liquid vaporizable material and a resistive heating element to a separate vaporizer body containing electronic circuitry and a power source (e.g., battery, supercapacitor, fuel cell, etc.) , may be susceptible to damage occurring when even a relatively small amount of liquid vaporizable material comes into prolonged contact with electrical contacts on the cartridge and/or body of the vaporizer device, in particular when these contacts are not located or configured in such a way that they allowed for easy cleaning. While damage to the contacts on the cartridge may be of relatively little importance, provided that the cartridge can be repaired or replaced after a sufficiently short time (for example, after its reservoir of evaporated material has been emptied or otherwise exhausted, as a result of which it can be replaced with a new one cartridge), damage to electrical contacts in or on the body of the vaporizer device, which may generally be designed for long-term use, including with a large number of removable cartridges, can pose a significant problem with respect to long-term reliability. In addition to the potential problems associated with damaged electrical contacts on the vaporizer device, exposure of other parts of the vaporizer device to liquid vaporizable material may also be problematic, as further described below.

Electrical contacts for completing a circuit between the body of the vaporizer device and the cartridge may be located within the cartridge receiver, such that these electrical contacts of the receiver are configured and arranged to make contact with corresponding electrical contacts on a portion of the cartridge that is received by the receiver inserting the cartridge when The cartridge and the vaporizer body are connected to use the vaporizer device. Leakage of liquid vaporizable material from a reservoir that is located in, or otherwise forms part of, the cartridge may result in liquid vaporizable material being present on the outer surfaces of the cartridge when the cartridge is received by insertion of the cartridge receiver onto the vaporizer body. Liquid vaporizable material may also or alternatively directly flow out of the reservoir while the cartridge is received by insertion or otherwise connected or engaged with the body of the vaporizer device, whereby the escaping liquid vaporizable material may easily come into close proximity to any components of the vaporizer body. devices that are located in or near the cartridge receiver. While the description given herein is presented in the context of an illustrative vaporizer device in which at least a portion of the cartridge that includes a reservoir for containing liquid vaporizable material is received by insertion by the cartridge, it should be understood that such features are not intended to are limiting except to the extent of limitation in which they are essentially necessary in the present invention as stated below.

A useful feature of some currently available electronic vaporizer devices is the ability to detect when a user takes a puff, which is defined herein as an inhalation to cause air to be drawn through the vapor chamber of the vaporizer device. Puff detection functionality may allow a user to control such a device simply by taking a puff, rather than by pressing a button or performing some other action to ensure that the device becomes capable of generating a respirable aerosol. Various failure modes of a vaporizer device having puff detection means may include failure modes resulting from failure or intermittent failure of a pressure sensor that is part of the vaporizer device's puff detection system. Typically the pressure sensor is positioned so that it is exposed to the air flow path delivering air to the vapor chamber of the vaporization device. When the user draws through the mouthpiece to draw air along the airflow path, it causes a pressure difference that draws air into the vaporizer device. The pressure difference is detected by a pressure sensor, which provides a signal to the controller (eg, microcontroller, circuit board, other control circuits, etc.) of the evaporator device indicating a change in pressure. The controller may interpret this signal to determine whether the indicated change in pressure was caused by the puff, and if it is determined that this is the case, the controller may cause the heating element (eg, a resistive heating element) to be activated in response to this signal. Activating the heating element may include providing electrical power from a power source to the heating element. The controller may deactivate the heating element after determining, based on the signal from the pressure sensor, that the pressure differential has disappeared. In some examples, the puff detection system may indicate that a puff is in progress (eg, it has started but has not yet ended).

Some currently available evaporative devices use an analog pressure sensor to generate a signal representing a change in pressure (eg, a pressure differential or the disappearance of a pressure differential). In some examples, the pressure sensor may include a capacitive membrane, such as, for example, a capacitive membrane similar to capacitive membranes used in microphones. However, a capacitive membrane or similar analog pressure sensor may be susceptible to distortion when contaminated by liquids such as liquid vaporized material, water, etc. For example, an air passage that connects a pressure sensor to an air flow path may become at least partially blocked by a column of liquid. Alternatively, liquid in contact with the capacitive diaphragm of an analog pressure sensor may greatly alter the capacitive properties of the diaphragm, causing the pressure sensor to be unable to perform its function and correctly detect puffs.

Using a pressure sensor to identify that a user is taking a puff on a vaporizer device typically requires that there be air contact between the pressure sensor and the air flow generated during the puff. In some evaporative devices, the pressure sensor may be located at a relatively large distance from the tank material being evaporated. However, this arrangement is typically achieved by having the airflow path pass through some significant portion of the vaporizer body such that contact occurs between the air drawn in by the user and the internal electronics and/or circuitry of the vaporizer body. As such, it may be desirable for the airflow path to bypass most of the internal members of the vaporizer body. This, however, may require the pressure sensor to be located closer to where the vaporization chamber is located, thereby increasing the likelihood of leakage of the vaporized material, and the vaporized

- 6 045591 material may come into close proximity to the pressure sensor, which may lead to damage to the pressure sensor due to contact of the liquid evaporated material with the capacitive membrane.

As noted above, the subject matter of the present invention relates to various features that may be advantageous in reducing or even eliminating these failure modes in an evaporative device. The following description relates to illustrative evaporative devices in which one or more features of the present invention may be implemented. These illustrative evaporative devices are described to provide context for describing the features provided by the present invention.

Fig. 1A-2C show exemplary evaporative devices 100, 200 and means that may be included therein, compatible with implementations of the present invention. Fig. 1A shows a schematic illustration of a vaporization device 100 that includes a cartridge 114, and FIG. 1B-1E show views of an exemplary vaporization device 100 with a vaporization device body 101 and a cartridge 114. FIGS. 1B and 1C show top views before and after attaching the cartridge 114 to the vaporizer body 101. Fig. 1D shows an isometric perspective view of a vaporization device 100 that includes a vaporization device body 101 integrated with a cartridge 114, and FIG. 1E shows an isometric perspective view of one embodiment of a cartridge 114 containing liquid vaporizable material. In general, when the vaporizer device includes a cartridge (such as cartridge 114), the cartridge 114 may include one or more reservoirs 120 configured to contain vaporizable material (or possibly multiple vaporizable materials). Any suitable vaporizable material may be contained in reservoir 120 (or multiple reservoirs) of cartridge 114, including solutions of nicotine or other organic materials, as well as compositions that may include one or more pure (e.g., not dissolved in solution) chemical compounds , mixtures, compositions, etc.

As noted above, the evaporation device 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes an evaporation device body 101. As shown in FIG. 1, a vaporizer device body 101 compatible with implementations of the present invention may include a power source 103 (e.g., a device or system that stores electrical power for use as needed), which may be a battery, a capacitor, a combination thereof, etc. etc., and which can be rechargeable or non-rechargeable. A controller 105, which may include a processor (eg, a programmable processor, special purpose circuitry, etc.), may also be included as part of the vaporizer body 101. The vaporizer device body 101 may include a housing that surrounds one or more components of the vaporizer body, such as a power supply 103, a controller 105, and/or any other components described herein as part of such a device. In various implementations of a vaporizer device that includes a vaporizer device body 101 and a cartridge 114, the cartridge 114 may be attached to, in, or partially in the vaporizer device body 101. For example, the vaporizer device body 101 may include a cartridge receptacle 152 into which the cartridge 114 may be inserted.

The processor of the controller 105 may include circuitry for controlling the operation of the heater 118, which may, but not necessarily, include one or more heating elements for vaporizing the vaporizable material contained in the cartridge 114, for example, in a reservoir or container that is part of the cartridge 114. In various implementations, the heater 118 may be located in the vaporizer body 101 or in the cartridge 114 (as shown in FIG. 1A), or both. The controller circuits may include one or more clock generators (oscillators), charging circuits, I/O controllers, memory, etc. Alternatively or additionally, the controller circuitry may include circuitry for one or more wireless communication modes, including Bluetooth, near-field communication (NFC), Wi-Fi, ultrasonic communication, ZigBee, RFID, etc. d. The evaporative device body 101 may also include a memory 125, which may be part of the controller 105 or otherwise communicate with the controller. Memory 125 may include volatile (e.g., random access memory) and/or non-volatile (e.g., read-only memory, flash memory, solid-state storage, hard disk drive, other magnetic storage device, etc.) memory or storage device.

Additionally, with reference to FIG. 1, vaporizer device 100 may include a charger 133 (and charging circuits that can be controlled by controller 105), optionally including an inductive charger and/or a plug-in charger. For example, a universal serial bus USB connection may be used to charge the vaporizer device 100 and/or enable wireless communication between the computing device and the controller 105. The charger 133 may charge the on-board power supply 103. Vaporizer device 100 compatible with implementations of the present invention may also include one or more input devices 117, such as buttons, dials, and the like, sensor 137, which may include one or more sensors such as accelerometers or other motion sensors, pressure sensors (for example, relative and/or absolute pressure sensors, which may be capacitive, semiconductor, etc.), flow sensors, etc. One or more such sensors 137 may be used by vaporizer device 100 to detect user control and user interaction.

For example, detection of rapid movement (e.g., shaking motion) of vaporizer device 100 may be interpreted by controller 105 (e.g., by receiving a signal from one or more sensors 137) as a user command to communicate with a user device that is part of the vaporizer system and which may be used to control one or more operations and/or parameters of the evaporator device 100, described in more detail below. Additionally or alternatively, detection of rapid movement (e.g., shaking motion) of evaporation device 100 may be interpreted by controller 105 (e.g., by receiving a signal from one or more sensors 137) as a command from the user to cycle through a plurality of temperature settings to which the material being evaporated, stored in cartridge 114 must be heated by heater 118. In some embodiments, controller 105's detection of removal of cartridge 114 (e.g., by receiving a signal from one or more sensors 137) while cycling through a plurality of temperature settings may influence the setting temperature (eg, when the cycle passes through the desired temperature, the user can remove the cartridge 114 to establish the desired temperature). The cartridge 114 may then be re-engaged by the user to the vaporizer body 101 to enable use of the vaporizer 100 with a heater controlled by the controller 105 in accordance with the selected temperature setting. Multiple temperature settings may be indicated by one or more indicators on the evaporation device body 101. The pressure sensor, as noted above, can be used to detect any of the start, end, or continuation of a puff.

An evaporative device 100 compatible with implementations of the present invention may also include one or more output devices 115. The output devices 115 used herein may be any one of optical (e.g., LEDs, displays, etc.), tactile (e.g., vibration, etc.) or audible (e.g., piezoelectric, etc.) components. feedback, etc. or to some combination thereof.

A vaporizer device 100 compatible with implementations of the present invention that includes a cartridge 114 may include one or more electrical contacts (e.g., pins, pads, connectors, mating receivers, or other means for electrically connecting to other contacts, etc.). etc.), such as the electrical contacts 109, 111, 113 of the evaporator body shown in FIG. 1A, on or in the body 101 of the vaporizer device, which may be complementarily engaged with the cartridge contacts 119, 121, 123 (e.g., pins, pads, connectors, mating receivers, or other means for electrical connection with other contacts, etc. ) on the cartridge 114 when the cartridge is engaged with the vaporizer body 101. The contacts on the vaporizer body 101 are generally referred to herein as vaporizer body contacts, and the contacts on the cartridge 114 are generally referred to herein as cartridge contacts. These contacts may be used to provide energy from the power source 103 for the heater 118 in implementations of the present invention in which the heater 118 is included in the cartridge 114. For example, when the cartridge contacts and the vaporizer body contacts, respectively, are engaged by connecting the cartridge 114 to the vaporizer body 101, an electrical circuit can be formed , allowing the control of the supply of energy from the power source 103 in the vaporizer body 101 to the heater 118 in the cartridge 114. The controller 105 in the vaporizer body 101 can regulate this supply of energy to control the temperature to which the heater 118 heats the vaporizable material contained in the cartridge 114.

While three vaporizer body contacts 109, 111, 113 and three cartridge contacts 119, 121, 123 are shown, some implementations of the present invention may use only two contacts of each type to complete an electrical circuit that can be used to supply power from a source 103 power supply to the heater 118 and possibly also to measure the temperature of the heating element in the heater (for example, by briefly and intermittently interrupting the flow of current through the heating element, measuring the resistance of the heating element during these short interruptions, and using the thermal resistance coefficient to obtain the temperature at based on measured resistance) and/or data transfer between optional identifier 138 and controller 105. Alternatively or additionally, additional contacts (eg, optional contacts 113 and 123, which may be more than one additional contact on each of the cartridge and vaporizer body) may be enabled for data transmission, temperature measurements, pressure sensor measurements (eg, if a pressure sensor is included in the cartridge while the controller 105 is located in the vaporizer body 101).

- 8 045591

The air flow path (150 in FIG. 1E) may direct air to a heater where this air combines with vaporized vaporized material from reservoir 120 such that a respirable aerosol is generated for delivery to the user through mouthpiece 144, which may also be part of cartridge 114 The air flow path 150 may, in some examples, extend between the outer surface of the cartridge 114 and the inner surface of the cartridge receptacle on the vaporizer body 101, as described further below.

Any compatible electrical contact may be used, including pins (eg, spring pins), pads, and the like. Additionally, as described below, in some implementations of the present invention, one-way or two-way communication is provided between the vaporizer body 101 and the cartridge 114 through one or more electrical contacts, which may include electrical contacts used to provide energy from the power supply 103 to the heater 118 which may include a heating element, such as a resistive heating element. The cartridge 114 and the vaporizer body 101 may be removably coupled together, for example, by engaging a portion of the cartridge body 114 with the vaporizer body 101 and/or the vaporizer body in a mechanical connection (e.g., with a snap and/or friction fit). Alternatively or additionally, the cartridge 114 and the vaporizer body 101 may be coupled magnetically or through some other coupling or engagement mechanism. Other types of compounds are also within the scope of the present invention, as are combinations of two or more types of compounds.

Fig. 1B-1F show an example of an evaporator 100 with an evaporator body 101 and a cartridge 114. The latter two are disconnected in FIG. 1B and connected in FIG. 1C. Fig. 1D shows an isometric perspective view of the combined vaporization device body 101 and cartridge 114, and FIG. 1E and FIG. 1F shows the cartridge 114 separately from two different angles. Fig. 1B-1F in combination show an exemplary cartridge vaporizer device including many of the features shown generally in FIG. 1A. Other configurations including some or all of the features described herein are also within the scope of the present invention. Fig. 1D shows a vaporizer device 100 having a cartridge 114 coupled to a cartridge receptacle 152 of the vaporizer device body 101. In some implementations of the present invention, the reservoir 120 may be formed in whole or in part from a translucent material such that the level of vaporized material is visible through the window 158. The cartridge 114 and/or the vaporization device body 101 may be configured so that the window 158 remains visible. when the cartridge 114 is received by insertion of the cartridge by the receiver 152. For example, in one illustrative configuration, window 158 may be positioned between the lower edge of the mouthpiece 144 and the upper edge of the vaporizer body 101 when the cartridge 114 is coupled to the cartridge receptacle 152.

Fig. 1E shows an example airflow path 150 for air drawn when a user draws from the outside of the cartridge 114 past the heater 118 (e.g., through a vapor chamber that includes or contains the heater 118) and to the mouthpiece 144 to deliver the inhalable aerosol. The mouthpiece may, but is not required to, have multiple openings through which the inhaled aerosol is delivered. For example, the cartridge receptacle 152 may be located at one end of the vaporizer body 101 such that the insertion end 154 of the cartridge 114 may be received by the cartridge receptacle 152 inserting. When the cartridge insertion end 154 is fully inserted into the cartridge receptacle 152, the inner surface of the cartridge receptacle 152 forms one surface of a portion of the airflow path 150, and the outer surface of the cartridge insertion end 154 forms the other surface of that portion of the airflow path.

As shown in FIG. 1E, this configuration allows air to flow downward around the cartridge insertion end 154 into the cartridge receptacle 152 and then back in the opposite direction after passing around the insertion end (e.g., the end opposite the end that includes the mouthpiece 144) of the cartridge 114 when it enters the body of the cartridge toward the vapor chamber and heater 118. The air flow path 150 then passes through the interior of the cartridge 114, for example, through one or more tubes or internal channels to one or more outlets 156 formed in the mouthpiece 144. For the cartridge 114 having a non-cylindrical shape, the mouthpiece 144 may also be non-cylindrical, and more than one outlet 156 may be formed in the mouthpiece, optionally located in a line along the longer of the two transverse axes of the cartridge 114, where the longitudinal axis of the cartridge is oriented along the direction of movement of the cartridge 114 for receiving by insertion or otherwise connection with the body 101 of the evaporation device, and the two transverse axes are perpendicular to each other and the longitudinal axis.

Fig. 1F shows additional features that may be included in a cartridge 114 compatible with the present invention. For example, the cartridge 114 may include two cartridge contacts 119, 121 disposed on an insertion end 154 that is configured to be inserted into a cartridge receptacle 152 of the vaporizer body 101. Each of these cartridge contacts 119, 121 may, but need not be, part of a single element of me

- 9 045591 tall, which forms a conductive structure 159, 161 connected to one of the two ends of the resistive heating element. The two conductive structures may optionally form opposite sides of the heating chamber, and may also act as heat shields and/or heat sinks to reduce heat transfer to the outer walls of the cartridge 114. FIG. 1F also shows a central tube 162 in the cartridge 114 that defines a portion of the airflow path 150 between the heating chamber formed between the two conductive structures 159, 161, and the mouthpiece 144.

As mentioned above, the cartridge 114 and optionally the vaporizer body 101 may, but need not, be non-circular in cross-section, with varying elongations (e.g., one of the two transverse axes that are perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the vaporization device 100 is more longer than the other transverse axis) expected cross-sectional shapes, including approximately rectangular, approximately rhomboidal, approximately triangular or trapezoidal, approximately oval, etc. Those skilled in the art should be well aware that use of the word approximately in this context implies that any vertices of the cross-sectional shape need not be sharp, but may instead have a non-zero radius of curvature, and that any surfaces between such vertices are not must necessarily be completely flat, but instead may have a finite radius of curvature.

Fig. 2A-C refer to an exemplary implementation of the present invention in which the vaporization device is non-cartridge. Fig. 2A shows a schematic representation of a vaporizer device 200 that does not use a cartridge (but may still, but need not, accept a cartridge) and may instead (or additionally) be configured for use with bulk sheet material or some other vaporizable material (eg solid, wax, etc.). The evaporation device 200 in FIG. 2A may be configured to receive, in the oven 220 (eg, a flash chamber), a vaporized material, such as a bulk vaporized material, a wax, and/or some other liquid or solid vaporized material. Many elements similar to those present in the vaporizer device 100 using the cartridge 114 shown in FIG. 1A-1E may also be included as part of a vaporization device 200 that does not require the use of cartridges. For example, vaporizer device 200 may include, in one housing, control circuits 105, which may include power management circuits and/or wireless circuits 207, and/or memory 125. Power source 103 (e.g., battery, capacitor, etc.) .d.) in the housing may be charged by charger 133 (and may include charging control circuitry not shown). The vaporizer device 200 may also include one or more output devices 115 and one or more input devices 117 with sensors 137, which may include one or more of the sensors described above in connection with the cartridge vaporizer device 100.

Additionally, vaporization device 200 may include one or more heaters 118 that heat the vaporization chamber, which may be an oven 220 or other heating chamber. The heater 118 can be controlled using the resistance of the heater 118 to determine the temperature of the heater, for example, by using a resistivity temperature coefficient for the heater. A mouthpiece 144 may also be included in such vaporizer device 200 to deliver the generated respirable aerosol to the user. Fig. 2B shows an isometric perspective side view of an illustrative evaporation device 200 with an evaporation device body 201. In the isometric perspective view from below, Fig. 2C, cover 230 is shown removed from evaporator body 201, exposing furnace/evaporator chamber 220.

Fig. 3A, fig. 3B, FIG. 3C and FIG. 4 respectively show views of the evaporation device body 101, namely, a top view (FIG. 3A), a cutaway top view (FIG. 3B) showing the outer shell as transparent to show the internal components, a cutaway top view with the outer shell removed shell (Fig. 3C), and isometric top/side view with local section (Fig. 4). The evaporative device body 101 includes an outer shell 303, which, in this example, includes a port 302 (e.g., an opening, window, etc. in the outer shell 303) through which a visible indicator (e.g., a light source, LED, light guide, fiber optic device, etc.) can provide feedback regarding the status of the device to the user. Port 302 is present in all of Figures 3A, 3B, 3C and 4. Views in FIGS. 3A and FIG. 3B shows an example of a cartridge 114 received by insertion by the cartridge receiver 152 to enable use of the vaporizer device 100. Views of FIGS. 3B and FIG. 3C also shows a power supply 103 that is housed in the vaporizer body 101, as well as a pressure sensor 304, gasket 306, or other sealing means that provides a barrier between the cartridge receiver 152 and various internal components of the vaporizer body 101. Pressure sensor 304 is positioned and spacer 30 6 is configured such that the pressure sensor is exposed to air in cartridge receptacle 152 through passage 310 (e.g., gap, channel, or some other connection that allows for easy transmission changes in air pressure along its length) such that the pressure sensor is exposed to air and/or other environmental factors present on the outside of the gasket 306.

Using a pressure sensor to identify that a user is taking a puff on a vaporizer device generally requires that there be contact between the pressure sensor and the air flow generated during the puff. In some evaporative devices, the pressure sensor may be located at a relatively large distance from the reservoir of material being evaporated. However, this arrangement is typically achieved by passing the air flow path through some portion of the vaporizer body such that air drawn in by the user comes into close contact with the internal electronics and/or circuitry of the vaporizer body. This arrangement may be undesirable for the long-term performance of the device, for example due to moisture, dust, etc. from the incoming air may be deposited on the sensitive internal electronics of the evaporation device. Locating a pressure sensor (e.g., a puff detector) closer to the reservoir (e.g., near the location where the cartridge 114 containing the reservoir 120 is inserted into or received by the vaporizer body 101) may mitigate this problem by preventing air flow over the internals of the vaporizer body . However, this placement of the pressure sensor may cause it to be more sensitive to the effects of liquid vaporized material, etc., which may render the analog pressure sensor unusable as described above.

Air flow in the cartridge 114 that is received by insertion by the cartridge receiver 152 may, in some implementations of the present invention, follow an airflow path 150 that passes through a gap between a side wall (e.g., the outer surface of a portion of the cartridge 114 that is received by insertion by the receiver 152 cartridge) of the cartridge 114 and the inner wall of the cartridge receptacle 152, as shown in FIG. 3B. From within the cartridge receptacle 152, air may flow into the cartridge 114 through one or more inlet ports located at or near the end of the cartridge that is opposite the mouthpiece 144. A passage 310 connecting the air in the cartridge receptacle 152 to the pressure sensor 304 is shown in FIG. 3B and FIG. 3C. This configuration can be generally described as positioning the pressure sensor 304 such that it is exposed to changes in pressure (and therefore also to environmental factors such as moisture, leakage of evaporated material, dust, etc.) that occur or are present in the cartridge receiver 152.

The cartridge receiver 152 may, as shown in FIG. 3B and FIG. 3C, also include or comprise electrical contacts as well as a channel 310 through which changes in pressure in the cartridge receiver 152 are measured by an analog pressure sensor 304. The electrical contacts shown in FIG. 3B and FIG. 3C include two pins 109, 111 that are configured to provide electrical connection to corresponding pins 119, 121 on the cartridge. In some implementations of the present invention, the cartridge 114 may be rotationally symmetrical and the two electrical contacts 119, 121 may be equivalent such that the cartridge 114 may be received by insertion by the cartridge receiver 152 in either of two orientations.

As noted above, a potential failure mode of vaporizer device 100 that utilizes an analog pressure sensor (e.g., capacitive sensor, microphone, etc.) may result from exposure to liquid or other contaminant present in the passage 310 through which the analog pressure sensor 304 is coupled to the air flow in the cartridge. In some implementations of the present invention, an absolute pressure sensor, such as, for example, a microelectromechanical system (MEMS), or other semiconductor sensor may be used in place of an analog sensor. Semiconductor sensor, etc. may be a digital component that returns a signal or value representing the absolute pressure to which the pressure sensor is currently exposed. Such sensors can be water resistant and are significantly less sensitive to the effects of liquid vaporized material than an analog pressure sensor. Fig. 5 shows an example of a circuit board 500 having a capacitive sensor 304 (eg, an analog pressure sensor) mounted thereon for inclusion in a vaporizer device 100, such as the vaporizer devices described herein. Circuit board 500, which is simply an example of how an analog pressure sensor 304 may be implemented in vaporizer device 100, includes an analog pressure sensor 304 mounted such that when circuit board 500 is installed in vaporizer device body 101, analog sensor 304 pressure is aligned with the receiving means on gasket 306.

An improvement to this design provided by various implementations of the present invention is shown in FIG. 6, which illustrates the means of another circuit board 600 in which an absolute pressure sensor 604 replaces the analog pressure sensor 304 of FIG. 5. As shown, the circuit board 600 with the absolute pressure sensor 604 can be configured such that the absolute pressure sensor 604 is in a position similar to the position of the analog pressure sensor 304 on the circuit board 500. Thus, the absolute pressure sensor 604 can be configured with The absolute pressure sensor 604 can be five or more times more sensitive than a conventional capacitive sensor. Additionally, a MEMS or other semiconductor pressure sensor may also provide significant improvements in measurement repeatability (eg, accuracy) relative to currently used approaches.

While a solid-state absolute pressure sensor 604 or other similar devices that are not rendered ineffective or inoperable by exposure to liquids may easily overcome the above-mentioned problems that result from such exposure, other difficulties may arise when using such a device. For example, analog pressure sensor 304, particularly an analog pressure sensor that operates by capacitively sensing a membrane that moves in response to pressure differences between different sides of the membrane, provides a relative pressure measurement that can be easily discerned among local pressure changes on the first side membrane that is exposed, through passage 310 or the like, to air flow into cartridge 114, and changes in ambient pressure that may be caused by changes in altitude, the Venturi effect (for example, may be caused by opening a vehicle window while driving at a relatively high speed, the opening of a boat door or other structure exposed to strong winds, etc., pressure waves (for example, may be caused by the entry of a vehicle such as a train, etc., into a tunnel or other confined space air), etc. If only the signal generated by the absolute pressure sensor 604 is used to determine whether a puff is taking place, then the likelihood of a false positive result is greater than when using a relative pressure sensor. In light of other advantages of the solid-state absolute pressure sensor 604, the present invention may, in some implementations, include additional sensors and firmware and/or software for determining whether or not a puff is in progress based on input from the absolute pressure sensor 604. as well as from one or more other sensors. Said one or more other sensors may include a second pressure sensor, and optionally one or more sensors that measure something other than pressure.

In one example, evaporative device body 101 may include an additional absolute pressure sensor 606 that provides a signal to controller 105. Thus, a virtual relative pressure sensor can be created by processing signals from at least two absolute pressure sensors. An additional absolute pressure sensor 606 may be positioned to sense the ambient pressure to which the vaporizer device 100 is currently exposed. In some examples, an additional absolute pressure sensor 606 may be located on the circuit board 600 such that the additional absolute pressure sensor 606 is not exposed to pressure in the cartridge receiver 152, but instead is exposed to pressure in the vaporizer body 101, which may have one or more holes to expose the auxiliary MAP sensor to ambient pressure (or else, the auxiliary MAP sensor may not be completely sealed from ambient pressure). Alternatively, the additional absolute pressure sensor 606 may be positioned, located, etc., such that it is directly exposed to ambient air and ambient pressure outside the shell of the vaporizer device 100, for example, by exposing it through a channel, port , hole, etc. in the shell.

Signals from the absolute pressure sensor 604 and the additional absolute pressure sensor 606 may be received by the controller 105 of the vaporizer device 100, which may use these signals to determine, or otherwise identify, a change in the pressure of the absolute pressure sensor 604 relative to ambient pressure and thus implement logic to eliminate pressure changes detected by the absolute pressure sensor 604 that are not due to puff or air flow induced pressure changes. Alternatively or additionally, this logic may be implemented directly in hardware, for example, through a series of transistors forming logic gates, or in some combination of software and hardware, and/or in firmware. In some examples, this logic may include comparing the absolute pressure measured by both the absolute pressure sensor 604 and the optional absolute pressure sensor 606 and determining that a puff is occurring when the signal from the absolute pressure sensor 604 indicates some value (e.g. , absolute, relative, etc.) pressure difference that is greater than the pressure difference indicated by the optional absolute pressure sensor 606. Thus, signals received by the controller from the optional MAP sensor 606 can act as a gating signal to discard signals from the MAP sensor 604 that the controller would otherwise interpret as signals indicating a puff, but which might instead be due to changes in pressure environment.

An evaporative device compatible with implementations of the present invention may also

- 12 045591 be exposed to other factors that may cause incorrect puff detection. For example, even though the absolute pressure sensor 604 described above may be water resistant and/or otherwise impermeable or at least resistant to the likelihood of becoming inoperable or otherwise malfunctioning when exposed to liquids such as liquid vaporized material , the presence of fluid in gasket passage 310 or similar structure may act as a pressure column, resulting in different pressure readings detected by absolute pressure sensor 604 depending on the orientation of vaporizer device 100. In other words, if a fluid column is present in passage 310, when the evaporator device 100 is oriented such that gravity pulls the column toward the absolute pressure sensor 604, the absolute pressure sensor 604 can detect greater absolute pressure than when the evaporator device 100 is oriented such that gravity, centripetal force , etc., pulls this column from the absolute pressure sensor 604. This effect can result in a noticeable pressure drop indicated by the absolute pressure sensor 604 when the vaporizer device rotates and causes gravity to pull the column of liquid in channel 310 away from the absolute pressure sensor 604 if the user swings the vaporizer device in an arc, causing the pulse to the liquid column is directed away from the absolute pressure sensor 604, etc. This type of noticeable pressure drop is likely not due to the user tightening the device. Various possible features of the present invention may be included in the vaporizer device to assist the controller 105 or the vaporizer device logic to recognize that a pressure drop caused by one of these factors or similar effects does not indicate that the user is taking a puff. For example, signals from one or more additional sensors may be included in the logic described above. In some implementations of the present invention, an accelerometer or other motion sensing device may provide signals that are interpreted by control logic. When the pressure differential relative to ambient pressure is indicated by signals from the absolute pressure sensor 604 and the additional absolute pressure sensor 606, the implemented puff detection logic may further include determining whether other sensors of the evaporator device indicate that the detected pressure differential may be associated with additional factors that may incorrectly indicate the pressure drop associated with the air flow. If this determination indicates another cause for the detected pressure drop, then the controller or other implemented logic may reject the noticeable puff.

When controller 105 or other logic does determine that a puff is occurring, this determination may result in electrical current being applied from a power source to a resistive heater that provides heat to vaporize some of the vaporizable material in reservoir 120 to thereby generate a respirable aerosol. in the air flowing along the air flow path to the mouthpiece 144 and the outlets 156 therein.

From the above description, which relates to the vaporizer device 100, which includes a cartridge 114 and the vaporizer body 101, those skilled in the art will readily understand that the use of an absolute pressure sensor 604 in a vaporizer device 200 that does not require the use of cartridges (e.g. , since the material to be evaporated can be inserted into the furnace 220 for heating) may also be preferred. As noted, such pressure sensors may be more sensitive and less prone to damage or failure due to environmental factors. In such an evaporator device, the absolute pressure sensor 604 may be positioned so that it is exposed to the air flow path connecting the air inlet, the evaporation chamber (eg, oven, etc.) and the outlet, which may be located in mouthpiece 144. The optional absolute pressure sensor 606 may be positioned such that it is exposed to ambient pressure. Other sensors (eg, motion sensor, etc.) may, but are not required to, also provide signals used by the control logic to determine whether a puff is occurring or whether other factors are affecting the signal from MAP sensor 604.

Implementations of the present invention may also provide board-level pressure sensor verification functionality. Because the absolute pressure sensor 604 provides a direct digital absolute pressure output, devices can be tested for accurate operation of such sensors directly after assembly of the circuit board or other internal electronics, without requiring complete assembly of the device for testing. This capability can provide the benefits of more efficient production since error detection can be implemented earlier in the production process.

Additionally, since the absolute pressure sensors described herein for use with evaporative devices may be functional even when exposed to water or other liquids, the entire evaporative device body 101 can be made water-resistant, for example, by positioning an additional absolute pressure sensor 606 with access to air outside the internal volume within the shell 303 and providing one or more spacers

- 13 045591 or sealing means that seal the entire internal volume (eg, power supply 103, any circuits, etc.) from the penetration of liquids or other environmental factors.

In some implementations of the present invention, an absolute/accurate pressure sensor on the vaporizer device may allow the device to provide other functions. For example, in a vaporizer device in which the airflow path 150 includes an orifice of a known and precisely defined size, the precise measurement of the pressure drop due to a user's puff can be used to calculate air velocity and volume flow. Accurate measurement of airflow volume can be used in conjunction with control of heater temperature (or possible other factors affecting the amount of evaporated material entering the vapor phase per unit time) to control the amount of respirable aerosol generated for a given volume of air. This capability may allow the vaporizer device to provide consistent aerosol concentrations at different puff intensities. Additionally, information from the optional absolute pressure sensor 606 may allow the ambient pressure to be adjusted—for example, to allow the effect of atmospheric pressure on airflow, etc., to be corrected.

Additional enhancements associated with these capabilities may include providing a variable threshold for puff detection. In one example, the device may prompt the user to perform a sample (eg, test) puff or sequence of sample puffs such that the device can describe and store information regarding how strong (or weak) the user's puff is. Using this information, the vaporizer device can vary the amount of pressure difference required to indicate a puff to better detect actual puffs thereby and discard false positives when detecting user puffs. Additionally, this capability may also allow the device to avoid gaps in puff detection by providing low puff detection thresholds for users with weaker puffs.

With respect to the gasket 306 or other sealing means in the evaporator device 100, the present invention may also provide improvements over available approaches. Some possible failure modes of such a gasket 306 may result from deformation of the gasket 306 caused by mechanical, thermal, and/or chemical stress on the gasket material. Deformation of the gasket 306 due to mechanical factors may result from bending of the vaporizer shell 303, falling of the vaporizer, excessive pressure, possibly at an inappropriate angle, applied during insertion of the cartridge 114 into the cartridge receptacle 152, etc. To protect against such impacts, pad 706 may include multiple redundant reinforcement ribs 710, which are shown in the views of FIGS. 7B, FIG. 7C, and FIG. 8. Fig. 7A shows a view similar to that shown in FIG. 3A, provided with reference to views of FIGS. 7B and FIG. 7C.

Alternatively or additionally, one or more reinforcing ribs 710 may be located on the distal side of the spacer 706, with the distal side of the liner 706 being opposite the side of the liner closest to the cartridge receptacle 152. This arrangement of reinforcing rib(s) may provide additional reinforcement between the shell 303 of the vaporization device body 101 and the inner frame 712.

The spacer 706 may be made of a material that is resistant to swelling or other chemically induced changes that may occur due to contact with non-aqueous solvents such as, for example, vegetable glycerin, propylene glycol, oils, etc. In some examples, gasket 706 may be made of silicone. In other examples, it may be made from one or more of 70A silicone, NBR 70A, NANCAR 1052 70A, 80% silicone/20% fluorosilicone, 70A, and the like.

Additionally, as noted above, the electrical contacts that complete the circuit between the power source in the vaporizer body and the heating element in the cartridge may have various failure modes that occur due to contact with liquids (such as liquid vaporized material) and also allow electrical current to flow . For example, the anti-corrosion plating or coating on these contacts may become eroded or even completely destroyed due to such galvanic effects. Additionally, for spring-loaded electrical contacts, other contact elements, such as the springs themselves, the pusher bushing, and the like, may also experience corrosion-related failures and/or excessive heat or other damage.

Fig. 9 is an isometric view showing various means of the internal components of the illustrative evaporation device body 101. As shown, two electrical contacts 109, 111 of the vaporizer body extend into a cartridge receptacle volume 152 configured to receive a cartridge having additional cartridge contacts 119, 121 (not shown in FIG. 9). The electrical contacts 109, 111 of the evaporator body may be, in some implementations of the present invention, spring pins, optionally with internal springs, which cause the pusher of each pin to extend upward to provide

- 14 045591 contacts with its corresponding additional contacts 119 or 121 cartridges. Implementations of the present invention may include one or more liquid-resistant agents, such as, for example, the agents described below.

Fig. 10 is an image illustrating elements of a spring pin 1000 compatible with implementations of the present invention. As shown, such a pin may include a sleeve 1002, a pusher 1004 that can move along an axis 1006 of the sleeve 1002, and a spring 1010 that pushes the pusher 1004 outward along the axis 1006 to provide a pushing force capable of bringing the pusher into contact with another surface. such as pin 119 or 121 of the cartridge.

Damage to the tappet 1004 may occur due to corrosion, wear, contamination by foreign objects, or the like. As such, in some implementations of the present invention, the electrical contacts used on the evaporative device body 101 may be improved by providing a liquid resistant means, which may, but not necessarily, include one or more of an improved anti-corrosion coating, enhanced contact surface, and some design means (eg modified design). The design means may include eliminating the spring drive means and/or means that require movement of two or more mechanical parts relative to each other.

In one example of a liquid-resistant agent, the spring 1010 may be made of a material (or, alternatively, coated with a material) that has an overall conductivity that is less than that of the material of the pusher 1004 and/or sleeve 1006. Thus, the spring 1010 may be less sensitive to the flow of electrical current, which may reduce the possibility of corrosion and/or excessive heating of the spring.

In other implementations of the present invention, the electrical contacts 109, 111 of the vaporizer body may be formed as solid contacts (eg, without a spring or other pushing means). The additional cartridge contacts 119, 121 compatible with this example may have flexible or resilient properties that provide tight contact with the pins when the cartridge is attached to the vaporizer body 101.

Fig. 11 shows an exemplary circuit diagram 1100 of a pressure sensor compatible with implementations of the present invention. As shown, PS1 604 is a tightening sensor running through a channel in the gasket to the shell of the device. PS2 606 is an ambient pressure sensor. In some implementations, PS1 604 may include a metal can-shaped housing to facilitate mating with the gasket. The PS1 604 may also include a gel inside the can to protect the actual sensor located below on the ceramic substrate and to prevent damage to the sensor by the liquid vaporized material. The capacitors shown in FIG. 11 are power supply decoupling capacitors for each pressure sensor PS1 604 and PS2 606. Pressure sensors PS1 604 and PS2 606 can communicate via I2C or another bus (SCL 1110/SDA 1120 shown in Fig. 11) with the controller.

With reference to FIG. 12, a flowchart 1200 illustrates features of a method that may, but does not have to, include some or all of the following steps. At step 1210, the first signal from the absolute pressure sensor (eg, absolute pressure sensor 604) of the vaporizer device and the second signal from the additional absolute pressure sensor (eg, additional absolute pressure sensor 606) of the vaporizer device are received in the electronic circuits of the vaporizer device. The first signal represents the first pressure, and the second signal represents the second pressure. The absolute pressure sensor is positioned or positioned such that it is exposed to a first air pressure that occurs along an air flow path connecting air from outside the vaporizer body to the vapor chamber of the vaporizer and the mouthpiece of the vaporizer. The additional absolute pressure sensor is positioned or positioned such that it detects a second air pressure, which is the ambient air pressure that is applied to the evaporator device.

At step 1220, the electronic circuitry determines that a puff is occurring based on at least the first signal and the second signal. In accordance with implementations of the present invention, air flowing along the air flow path in response to the user drawing air through the mouthpiece indicates the implementation of a puff.

At step 1230, in response to such a puff determination, the electronic circuits provide electrical current to the resistive heating element of the vaporizer device.

As noted above, the subject matter of the present invention may be relevant to both electronic cigarettes, in particular, and vaporizer devices, in general, including vaporizer devices used with any of a variety of vaporizable materials. As such, the descriptions of the various features provided herein are formulated generally in terms of evaporative devices. Those skilled in the art will readily understand from the description and explanation provided herein how such features should be applied to specific use cases, including, but not limited to, e-cigarettes and other vaporizer devices. Incorporation of one or more features of the present invention into an evaporative device may provide improvements in various aspects of utility, reliability, and reliability that may affect currently available evaporative devices.

One or more aspects or features of the present invention described herein may be implemented in digital electronic circuits, integrated circuits, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), computer hardware means, hardware and software, software, and/or any combination thereof. These various aspects or features may include implementation in one or more computer programs that are executable and/or interpretable on a programmable system including at least one programmable processor, which may be a special purpose or general purpose processor configured to receive data and commands from the storage system, the at least one input device, and the at least one output device, and transmit data and commands thereto.

These computer programs, which may also be called programs, software tools, software applications, applications, components, or code, include machine instructions for a programmable processor, and may be implemented in a high-level procedural language, an object-oriented programming language, or a functional language. programming, logic programming language, and/or machine/assembly language. As used herein, the term computer-readable medium refers to any computer program product, apparatus and/or device, such as, for example, magnetic disks, optical disks, memory, and Programmable Logic Device PLDs, used to provide machine instructions and /or data for a programmable processor including a computer-readable medium that receives machine instructions in the form of a computer-readable signal. The term computer-readable signal refers to any signal used to provide machine instructions and/or data to a programmable processor. A computer-readable medium may store such machine instructions regardless of the presence of electrical power, such as a non-volatile solid-state memory or hard disk drive or any equivalent data storage device may store them. The computer-readable medium may alternatively or additionally store such machine instructions depending on the availability of power, such as may be stored in processor cache memory or other random access memory associated with one or more physical processor cores.

To provide user interaction, one or more aspects or features of the present invention described herein may be implemented on a computer having a display device, such as, for example, a cathode ray tube (CRT) or liquid crystal display. display (LCD) or light emitting diode (LED) monitor for displaying information to the user, and a keyboard and pointing device, such as a computer mouse or trackball, through which the user can provide input to the computer. Other types of devices may be used to provide user interaction. For example, the feedback provided to the user may be any type of sensory feedback, such as, for example, visual feedback, audio feedback, or tactile feedback; and input from the user may be received in any form, including, but not limited to, acoustic, speech, or tactile input. Other possible input devices include, but are not limited to, touch screens or other touch-sensitive devices such as single-point or multi-point resistive or capacitive touchpads, speech recognition hardware and software, optical scanners, optical pointers, digital image capture devices and corresponding software interpretation tools, etc. A computer remote from the analyzer may be connected to the analyzer via a wired or wireless network to enable communication between the analyzer and the remote computer (for example, to receive data on the remote computer from the analyzer and transmit information such as calibration data, operating parameters, software updates means, etc.), as well as for remote control, diagnostics, etc., analyzer.

In the description above and in the claims, phrases such as at least one of or one or more of followed by a related list of elements or features may appear. The term and/or may also appear in a list of two or more elements or attributes. Unless the phrase is implicitly or explicitly inconsistent with the context in which it is used, the phrase is intended to mean: any of the enumerated elements or characteristics alone, or any of the enumerated elements or characteristics in combination with any other enumerated elements or characteristics. For example, it is assumed that each of the phrases is at least one of A and B; one or more of A and B; and A and/or B means A only, B only, or A and B together. A similar interpretation is also expected for lists containing three or more elements. For example, it is assumed that each of the phrases is at least one of A, B, and C; one or more of A,

- 16 045591

B, and C; and A, B, and/or C means A only, B only, C only, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, or A and B and C together. The use of the term based above and in the claims is intended to mean at least partly based, so that an unlisted feature or element is also acceptable.

The present invention described herein may be implemented in systems, apparatus, methods, and/or products depending on the desired configuration. The implementations set forth in the above description do not represent all implementations compatible with the present invention described herein. Instead, they are only some examples consistent with the aspects associated with the present invention described. Although some options have been described in detail above, other modifications or additions are possible. In particular, additional features and/or options may be provided in addition to the features and/or options set forth herein. For example, the implementations described above may be directed to various combinations and subcombinations of the disclosed features and/or combinations and subcombinations of more additional features disclosed above. Additionally, the logical sequences of operations shown in the accompanying figures and/or described herein do not necessarily require the particular order shown, or sequential order, to achieve the desired results. Other implementations may be within the scope of the following claims.

Position 1. A vaporizer device comprising an absolute pressure sensor arranged to detect a first air pressure along an air flow path connecting air outside the body of the vaporizer device, an vaporization chamber of the vaporizer device, and a mouthpiece of the vaporizer device;

an additional absolute pressure sensor arranged to detect a second air pressure representing ambient air pressure that acts on the evaporation device; and a controller configured to perform operations comprising receiving a first signal from the absolute pressure sensor representing the first air pressure and a second signal from the additional absolute pressure sensor representing the second pressure, determining based on at least the first signal and the second signal that that a puff occurs, wherein as the puff is drawn, air flows along an air flow path in response to the user drawing through the mouthpiece, and causing, in response to said definition, an electric current to be applied to a resistive heating element of the vaporizer device, wherein the supplied electric current causes the vaporized product to be heated. material to form a respirable aerosol in air flowing along the air flow path.

Position 2. The evaporation device according to position 1, further comprising an additional sensor, said operations further comprising receiving a third signal from the additional sensor and adapting a determination that a puff is occurring based on the third signal.

Position 3. An evaporative device according to position 2, in which the additional sensor contains an accelerometer or other motion detection device.

Statement 4. An evaporative device according to any of the preceding provisions, wherein the air flow path includes an opening of a known and precisely defined size, and wherein the absolute pressure sensor provides a measurement of the pressure difference due to the user taking a puff, wherein the operations performed by the controller further comprise a calculation air speed and volume flow;

determining the amount of evaporated material that passes into the vapor phase per unit time; and controlling the amount of respirable aerosol generated for a given volume of air based on said calculation and said determination.

Position 5. The evaporation device according to position 4, in which the operations performed by the controller further comprise: controlling the temperature of the heater.

Statement 6. The evaporative device according to any of provisions 4-5, in which the operations performed by the controller further comprise: providing a compatible aerosol concentration at different puff intensities.

Statement 7. An evaporative device according to any one of provisions 4-6, wherein the operations performed by the controller further comprise: applying a correction to the ambient pressure to correct the effect of atmospheric pressure on the amount of air flow.

Statement 8. The evaporation device according to any one of provisions 4 to 7, wherein the operations performed by the controller further comprise prompting the user to perform a sample puff or a sequence of sample puffs; and describing and storing information regarding the user's relative puff intensity.

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Statement 9. The vaporizer device according to Statement 8, wherein the operations performed by the controller further comprise: changing the amount of pressure difference required to indicate a puff based on the relative intensity of the user's puff to better detect actual puffs and discard false positives when detecting the user's puffs.

Claim 10. A method comprising the steps of receiving, in electronic circuits, a first signal from an evaporator device absolute pressure sensor and a second signal from an additional evaporator device absolute pressure sensor, the first signal representing a first pressure and the second signal representing a second pressure, the sensor absolute pressure is placed so that it is exposed to the first air pressure that occurs along the air flow path connecting the air outside the body of the evaporating device, with the evaporation chamber of the evaporating device and the mouthpiece of the evaporating device, an additional absolute pressure sensor is placed with the ability to detect the second air pressure, which is the ambient air pressure that acts on the evaporation device;

determining that a puff is occurring based on at least the first signal and the second signal, wherein when puffing, air flows along an air flow path in response to the user drawing through the mouthpiece; and causing electric current to be supplied to the resistive heating element of the vaporizing device in response to said detection step.

Statement 11. The method according to position 10, wherein the evaporation device further comprises an additional sensor, the method further comprising the steps of: receiving a third signal from the additional sensor and adapting a determination that a puff is occurring based on the third signal.

Clause 12. The method of Clause 11, wherein the additional sensor comprises an accelerometer or other motion detection device.

Statement 13. The method according to any one of provisions 10-12, wherein the air flow path includes an opening of a known and precisely defined size, wherein the absolute pressure sensor provides a measurement of the pressure difference due to the user taking a puff, the method further comprising the steps of calculating air speed and volume flow;

determine the amount of evaporated material passing into the vapor phase per unit time; and controlling the amount of respirable aerosol generated for a given volume of air based on said calculation and said determination.

Statement 14. The method according to position 13, further comprising the step of: controlling the temperature of the heater.

Provision 15. The method according to any of provisions 13-14, further comprising the step of: providing a compatible aerosol concentration at different puff intensities.

Statement 16. The method according to any of provisions 13-15, further comprising the step of: applying a correction to ambient pressure to correct the effect of atmospheric pressure on the amount of air flow.

Provision 17. The method according to any of provisions 13-16, further comprising the steps of prompting the user to perform a sample puff or a sequence of sample puffs; and describe and store information regarding the user's relative puff intensity.

Claim 18. The method of Claim 17, further comprising: varying the amount of pressure difference required to indicate a puff based on the relative intensity of the user's puff to better detect actual puffs and discard false positives when detecting the user's puffs.

Provision 19. An evaporation device comprising: a body shell of the evaporation device;

an inner frame located inside the body shell of the evaporation device; and a gasket adapted to prevent the passage of liquids between a volume within the cartridge receptacle of the vaporizer body and a volume within the shell of the vaporizer body containing the internal electronic circuits, the gasket comprising connecting means by which a pressure sensing device that is connected to a portion of the internal electronic circuits is exposed to air pressure in the cartridge receiver, and the gasket contains a reinforcing rib located in such a way that it is clamped between the shell of the body of the evaporation device and part of the internal frame.

Position 20. Evaporative device according to position 19, in which the internal electric

Claims (15)

throne circuits contain one or more electronic components and/or circuit boards. Statement 21. The vaporizing device according to any one of provisions 19-20, wherein said volume within the body shell of the vaporizing device further comprises a power source. Statement 22. An evaporative device according to any of provisions 19-21, wherein the gasket is made of one or more of silicone, 70A silicone, NBR 70A, NANCAR 10527 0A, a mixture of 80% silicone/20% fluorosilicone, 70A. Statement 23. A vaporizer device comprising an electrical contact pin for electrical connection with a cartridge contact adapted to be accommodated by insertion thereof within a cartridge receptacle of the body of the vaporizer device, wherein the electrical contact pin comprises liquid resistant means. Statement 24. The evaporative device according to position 23, wherein the liquid-resistant means comprises a spring for pushing an electrical contact pin pusher, the spring being made of and/or coated with a material that has reduced conductivity relative to the pusher and/or a bushing within which the pusher moves. Statement 25. The evaporative device according to any one of provisions 23-24, wherein the liquid-resistant means comprises one or more of an anti-corrosion coating, an extended contact surface, and a structural means. Statement 26. An evaporative device according to any one of provisions 23-25, wherein the liquid-resistant means comprises a structural means. Statement 7. An evaporative device according to position 26, in which by design, any means of spring drive and/or means which require the movement of two or more mechanical parts relative to each other are eliminated. Statement 28. The evaporation device according to any one of provisions 26-27, wherein said design means is that the electrical contact pin has a rigid structure that does not require the conductive parts of the electrical contact pin to move relative to each other. CLAIM 1. A vaporizer device (100) comprising an absolute pressure sensor (604) positioned to detect a first air pressure along an air flow path (150) connecting air outside the vaporizer device body (101) to the vaporization chamber of the vaporizer device (100) and the mouthpiece (144) evaporation device (100); an additional absolute pressure sensor (606) arranged to detect a second air pressure representing the ambient air pressure that acts on the evaporation device (100); and a controller (105) configured to perform operations comprising receiving a first signal from an absolute pressure sensor (604) representing a first air pressure and a second signal from an additional absolute pressure sensor (606) representing a second pressure, detecting based on the first signal and a second signal, a change in pressure not associated with the puff, eliminating a change in pressure not associated with the puff, determining, based on at least the first signal and the second signal, that a puff is occurring, wherein when puffing, air flows along a path (150 ) air flow in response to the user drawing through the mouthpiece (144), and causing, in response to the above definition, the supply of electric current to the resistive heating element of the vaporizer device (100), wherein the supplied electric current heats the vaporized material to form a respirable aerosol in the air flowing along the air flow path (150). 2. The vaporizer device (100) of claim 1, further comprising an additional sensor, said operations further comprising receiving a third signal from the additional sensor, wherein said determination that a puff is occurring is also based on the third signal. 3. The evaporative device (100) according to claim 2, wherein the additional sensor comprises an accelerometer or other motion detection device. 4. The vaporizer device (100) as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the air flow path (150) includes an orifice of a known and precisely defined size and wherein the absolute pressure sensor (604) provides a measurement of the pressure difference due to the user taking a puff, the operation, performed by the controller (105), additionally contain the calculation of speed and volumetric air flow; - 19 045591 determination of the amount of evaporated material passing into the vapor phase per unit time; and controlling the amount of respirable aerosol generated for a given volume of air based on said calculation and said determination. 5. The vaporizer device (100) of claim 4, wherein the operations performed by the controller further comprise providing a consistent aerosol concentration at different puff intensities. 6. The evaporative device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the operations performed by the controller (105) further comprise applying a correction to the ambient pressure to correct the effect of atmospheric pressure on the amount of air flow. 7. The evaporation device (100) according to any one of claims 4-6, in which the operations performed by the controller (105) further comprise prompting the user to perform a sample puff or a sequence of sample puffs; and describing and storing information regarding the user's relative puff intensity. 8. The vaporizer device (100) of claim 7, wherein the operations performed by the controller (105) further comprise varying the amount of pressure differential required to indicate a puff based on the user's relative puff intensity to better detect actual puffs and discard false positives when detecting the user's puffs. 9. A method of operating a vaporizer device (100), wherein the vaporizer device comprises a vaporizer device body (101), a mouthpiece (144), an vaporization chamber, a resistive heating element, an absolute pressure sensor (604), an additional absolute pressure sensor (606), and a controller ( 105), the method comprising a controller (105) receiving a first signal from an absolute pressure sensor (604) and a second signal from an additional absolute pressure sensor (606), the first signal representing a first pressure and the second signal representing a second pressure. pressure, the absolute pressure sensor (604) is placed so that it is exposed to the first air pressure that occurs along the air flow path (150) connecting the air outside the vaporizer body (101) with the vaporization chamber and the mouthpiece (144), additional sensor (606) absolute pressure is located with the ability to detect a second air pressure, which is the ambient air pressure that acts on the evaporation device (100); detecting, based on the first signal and the second signal, a change in pressure not associated with the puff; exclude changes in pressure not associated with tightening; determining that a puff is occurring based on at least the first signal and the second signal, wherein when puffing, air flows along the air flow path (150) in response to the user drawing through the mouthpiece (144); and causing electric current to be supplied to the resistive heating element in response to said determination. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein the evaporative device (100) further comprises an additional sensor, wherein the method further comprises receiving a third signal from the additional sensor, wherein said determination that a puff is occurring is also based on the third signal . 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the additional sensor comprises an accelerometer or other motion detection device. 12. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the air flow path (150) includes an opening of a known and precisely defined size, wherein the absolute pressure sensor (604) measures the pressure difference due to the user taking a puff, the method further contains steps that calculate air speed and volumetric flow; determine the amount of evaporated material passing into the vapor phase per unit time; and controlling the amount of respirable aerosol generated for a given volume of air based on said calculation and said determination. 13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of providing a compatible aerosol concentration at different puff intensities. 14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, further comprising the step of applying a correction to ambient pressure to correct the effect of atmospheric pressure on the amount of air flow. 15. The method according to any one of claims 12-14, further comprising the steps of prompting the user to carry out a sample puff or a sequence of sample puffs; describe and store information regarding the user's relative puff intensity; and changing the amount of pressure difference required to indicate the tightening based on the relative -