RU2790191C2 - Evaporating device and its functioning method - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: tobacco industry.

SUBSTANCE: invention relates to evaporating devices, such as, for example, portable personal evaporating devices for formation of inhaled aerosol from one or more evaporated substances. An evaporating device is proposed, containing a current source circuit, a power supply input, and load switching circuits connecting the current source circuit and the power supply input to an output made with the possibility of connection to a heating element of an evaporator. The current source circuit, the power supply input, and load switching circuits form part of an integrated circuit. A method for functioning of an evaporating device is also proposed.

EFFECT: inventions are aimed at provision of circuits, which provide a possibility of improved operation of an evaporator, including improved operating characteristics of a heater and fault-tolerant features, thereby improving an evaporating device.

30 cl, 20 dwg

Description

Related application

[001] The present application claims priority under U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/689,774, filed June 25, 2018, the entire contents of which are thus expressly incorporated herein by reference.

The technical field to which the invention belongs

[002] The invention described herein relates to vaporization devices such as, for example, portable personal vaporizers for generating an inhalable aerosol from one or more vaporized substances.

State of the art

[003] Vaporizers, which may also be referred to as electronic vaporizers or electrovaporizers, can be used to deliver an aerosol (also sometimes referred to as "vapor") containing one or more active ingredients by inhalation of the aerosol by a user of the vaporizer. Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) are a class of vaping devices that are typically battery powered and that can be used to simulate the sensation of smoking a cigarette but without burning tobacco or other substances. When using a vaporizing device, the user inhales an aerosol, commonly referred to as vapor, which may be formed by means of a heating element which vaporizes (generally referred to as forcing a liquid or solid to at least partially gaseate) a vaporized substance, which may be a liquid, solution, solid, wax, or any other form that may be compatible with the use of a particular evaporative device.

[004] To receive an inhalable aerosol generated by the vaporizer, the user may, in some examples, activate the vaporizer by puffing, pressing a button, or some other approach. Puff, as a commonly used term (and also used herein), refers to inhalation by the user in a manner that causes a volume of air to be drawn into a vaporizer such that an inhalable aerosol is formed by combining the vaporized vaporized material with air. A typical approach by which a vaporizer device generates an inhalable aerosol from a vaporized material involves heating the vaporized material in a vaporization chamber (also sometimes referred to as a heater chamber) to cause the vaporized material to convert to a gaseous (vapor) phase. Vapor chamber generally refers to the region or volume in an evaporative device in which a heat source (e.g., conductive, convective, and/or radiant) causes the evaporator to be heated to produce a mixture of air and evaporator in some equilibrium between gaseous and condensed ( e.g. liquid and/or solid) phases.

[005] Some components of the gaseous evaporator may condense after evaporation due to cooling and/or changes in pressure, to thereby form an aerosol that includes particles of the condensed phase (e.g., liquid and/or solid) suspended over at least in some part of the air drawn into the evaporator device by means of a puff. If the vaporized substance includes a non-volatile compound (for example, a compound such as nicotine, which has a relatively low vapor pressure at inhalation temperatures and pressures), the inhaled aerosol may include this non-volatile compound in some local equilibrium between gaseous and condensed phases.

Prior art information about analogues of the present invention can be found in US 2016/0360786 A1, US 2017/0294804 A1, US 2017/0119052 A1.

The essence of the invention

[006] According to an aspect, the system includes a current source circuit; system power input; and a load switching circuit connecting the current source circuit and the system power input to an output configured to be connected to the evaporator heating element. The current source circuit, the system power input, and the load switching circuits form part of the integrated circuit.

[007] One or more of the following features may be present in any possible combination. For example, the system may include protection circuits configured to compare an operating parameter of the evaporative device with a predetermined condition and, in response to determining that the operating parameter satisfies the condition, output a warning signal. The protection circuits may form part of an integrated circuit. The operating parameter can include voltage, current, temperature, current limit and short circuit. The predetermined condition may include a predetermined threshold value, the system further includes at least one register storing the predetermined threshold value. The protection circuits may include a comparator circuit configured to compare an operating parameter of the vaporizer and a predetermined threshold value, the comparator circuit configured to output a signal indicative of the comparison. Protection circuits can be configured to detect heater timeout, evaporator subsystem temperature, overvoltage protection (OVP), overcurrent protection (OCP), undervoltage lockout (UVLO), electrical shorts, overcurrent, multi-level throttling, voltage dip and/or heater stop inhibit signal. The protection circuits may include a watchdog circuit and/or a redundant clock source.

[008] The system may include control logic coupled to protection circuits and configured to receive an alert signal and, in response to receiving the alert signal, cause a modification to the operation of the evaporator device, including disconnecting at least one circuit in the evaporator device from a power source, modifying the clock rate of at least one circuit, and/or modifying the power bus voltage of at least one circuit.

[009] The system may include a current monitor connected to the first output and configured to be connected to the evaporator heating element, the current monitor configured to measure the current at the first output; a voltage monitor connected to the second output is configured to be connected to the evaporator heating element, the voltage monitor is configured to measure voltage at the ends of the evaporator heating element; and control logic connected to the current monitor and the voltage monitor, the control logic is configured to receive data indicative of the measured current at the first output, the measured voltage at the ends of the evaporator heating element, and adjust the operation of the load switching circuits to control the temperature of the evaporator heating element, the adjustment is based on received data.

[0010] The system may include an integrated boost converter configured to provide higher voltage to the load switching circuits. The system may include power control circuitry including at least one low voltage drop regulator, a DC rectifier, and a step down switching buck converter; analog-to-digital converter; light emitting diode driver; and I/O circuits.

[0011] The system may include a main part of the evaporation device, including the evaporation chamber, and the mouthpiece; a power supply coupled to the power control circuitry; a controller connected to the circuits of the power control unit; antenna; memory; ambient pressure sensor; and an accelerometer.

[0012] The system may include circuitry configured to vary the duty cycle of the output signal based on the draw profile and/or steam profile, the draw profile characterizes the duty cycle and the draw force, the vapor profile characterizes the duty cycle and steam generation. The system may include a multiplexer including at least one switch, the multiplexer being configured to switch input between load switching circuits and a voltage monitor. The system may include a multiplexer including a first input connected to the load switching circuits, a second input connected to a voltage monitor, a third input connected to a voltage monitor, a fourth input connected to a reference node, and four outputs of at least , one of the four outputs is connected to the output.

[0013] Systems and methods consistent with this approach are described, as well as articles of manufacture, that comprise a tangibly embodied computer-readable medium adapted to instruct one or more machines (e.g., computers, microcontrollers, or the like, which may include general purpose and/or special purpose processors or circuits, etc.) result in the operations described herein. Similarly, computer systems are also described, which may include a processor and memory coupled to the processor. The memory may include one or more programs that instruct the processor to perform one or more of the operations described herein.

[0014] The details of one or more variations of the invention described herein are set forth in the accompanying drawings and in the description below. Other features and advantages of the invention described herein should become apparent from the description and drawings and from the claims.

Description of drawings

[0015] The accompanying drawings, which are included in and form a part of this specification, show specific aspects of the invention disclosed herein, and together with the description, help explain some of the principles associated with the disclosed implementations. On the drawings

[0016] FIG. 1A is a schematic drawing illustrating the features of an evaporator having a cartridge and an evaporator body consistent with some embodiments of the present invention;

[0017] FIG. 1B shows a diagram showing a top view of an evaporator with a cartridge separated from the cartridge holder on a main body of the evaporator consistent with embodiments of the present invention;

[0018] FIG. 1C shows a diagram showing a top view of an evaporator with a cartridge inserted into a cartridge holder on a main body of the evaporator consistent with some embodiments of the present invention;

[0019] FIG. 1D shows a diagram providing an isometric top perspective view of a vaporizer with a cartridge inserted into a cartridge holder on a main body of the vaporizer consistent with some embodiments of the present invention;

[0020] FIG. 1E shows a diagram providing an isometric top perspective view from the end of a cartridge mouthpiece suitable for use with a vaporizer body consistent with some embodiments of the present invention;

[0021] FIG. 1F shows a diagram providing an isometric top perspective view from the opposite end of a cartridge suitable for use with a body of a vaporizer consistent with some embodiments of the present invention;

[0022] FIG. 2A is a schematic drawing illustrating the features of a cartridgeless evaporator device consistent with some embodiments of the present invention;

[0023] FIG. 2B shows a diagram providing an isometric side perspective view of an exemplary cartridgeless vaporizer;

[0024] FIG. 2C shows a diagram providing an isometric bottom perspective view of an exemplary cartridgeless vaporizer;

[0025] FIG. 3 is a system block diagram of an exemplary vaporizer that may include integrated power and/or heater control in accordance with some aspects of the present invention;

[0026] FIG. 4 is a system block diagram of an exemplary integrated power control unit in accordance with some aspects of the present invention;

[0027] FIG. 5 is a system block diagram illustrating an exemplary heater controller in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention;

[0028] FIG. 6 is a system block diagram illustrating exemplary protection mechanism diagrams in more detail;

[0029] FIG. 7 is a system block diagram illustrating another example of a heater controller according to some embodiments of the present invention;

[0030] FIG. 8 is a system block diagram illustrating another example of a heater controller according to some embodiments of the present invention;

[0031] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a system according to some implementations of the present invention;

[0032] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of alternating steam generation;

[0033] FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating docking module identifier schemes according to some implementations; And

[0034] FIG. 12 illustrates an exemplary power control block according to some exemplary implementations of the present invention.

[0035] Where appropriate, like reference numerals refer to like structures, features, or elements.

Detailed description of the invention

[0036] Some aspects of the present invention relate to integrated power control and heater control circuits for evaporative devices. Circuits can be provided by the present invention that allow improved vaporizer operation, including improved heater performance and fail-safe features, thereby improving the vaporizer device. Some implementations of the present invention may include an integrated power control unit including heater control circuits implemented as an integrated circuit (eg, on a chip, such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)). By implementing some aspects of the present invention as an ASIC, some aspects of the present invention can improve power management, reduce power requirements, provide flexible heater control, reduce the number of discrete components, thereby reducing variability in performance, and the like. Other benefits are possible.

[0037] Examples of evaporative devices consistent with embodiments of the present invention include electronic evaporators, ENDS, and the like. As noted above, such vaporizers are typically pocket-sized devices that heat (via convection, electrical conduction, radiation, or some combination thereof) a vaporized substance to provide an inhalable dose of the substance. The vaporizer used with the vaporizer may, in some examples, be provided in a cartridge (which may be referred to as the part of the vaporizer that contains the vaporizer in a reservoir or other container, and which may be refillable when empty or discarded in favor of a new cartridge). containing an additional vaporizable substance of the same or different type). In some implementations, the vaporizer may be any cartridge vaporizer, cartridgeless vaporizer, or reusable vaporizer adapted for use with or without a cartridge. For example, the reusable vaporizer may include a heating chamber (eg, a thermal chamber) configured to receive a vaporized substance directly in the heating chamber, as well as to receive a cartridge having a reservoir or the like. to hold the evaporated material. In various implementations, the vaporizer may be configured to be used with a liquid vaporizer (e.g., a carrier solution in which the active and/or inactive ingredient(s) are suspended or held in solution or liquid form of the vaporizer itself) or a solid vaporizer. Solid vaporizable matter may include a plant or non-plant matter that emits some of the solid vaporizable matter as vaporizable matter (e.g., such that some of the matter remains as waste after the vaporizable matter is emitted for inhalation by a user) or, in optionally, may be the solid form of the vapourised substance itself, so that all of the solid may eventually be vaporized for inhalation. The liquid vaporizable material may likewise be completely vaporizable, or may include some of the liquid material that remains after all of the respirable material has been consumed.

[0038] The term "evaporative device" as used herein is consistent with the present invention generally referring to portable, self-contained devices that are convenient for personal use. Typically, such devices are controlled by one or more switches, buttons, touch sensitive devices, or other user input functionality, or the like. (which may be referred to generically as controls) on the vaporizer, although a variety of devices that can wirelessly communicate with an external controller (eg smartphone, smart watch, other wearable electronic devices, etc.) have recently become available. 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 of instructing the heater to turn on and/or off, adjusting the minimum and/or maximum temperature up to which the heater heats up during operation, various games or other interactive features that the user may have access to on the device, and/or other operations.

[0039] FIG. 3 is a system block diagram of an exemplary vaporizer 300, which may include an integrated power and/or heater control, in accordance with some aspects of the present invention. An exemplary evaporator device 300 includes a controller 305 with a wireless (eg, Bluetooth) support system on a chip (SOC) coupled to a vapor control system 310, a power and battery system 315, a user interface 320, additional sensors 325, an antenna 330, a memory 335 and a connector 340. The exemplary evaporative device 300 further includes a power source 350 (such as a lithium battery) and a docking module connector 345 for connecting to a docking module that may include a heating element (eg, electrically modeled as a resistor) and which contains volatile matter.

[0040] The vapor control system 310 may include device vaporization functionality and includes a dock resistance measurement circuit 312, a field effect transistor (FET) 313 for switching the dock heater, and a dock pressure sensor 314. The mates resistance measurement circuit 312 and the FET 313 for switching the mates heater may operate to sense the temperature of the mates heater element (e.g., briefly and periodically interrupting current flow to the heating element, measuring the resistance of the heating element during these short interruptions, and using the thermal coefficient resistance to get the temperature from the measured resistance). The docking pressure sensor 314 can monitor the pressure to detect anything from the start, end, or continuation of a puff.

[0041] The power and battery system 315 operates to supply other device systems with power from the power source 350. The power and battery system 315 may include a charger 316, a charge level indicator 317, a battery protection 318, and a low voltage dropout (LDO) regulator 319. Charger 316 may include a charging circuit that may be controlled by controller 305, and in some implementations may include an inductive charger and/or a plug-in charger. For example, a universal serial bus (USB) connection may be used to charge vaporizer 300 and/or to allow wired communication between computing device and controller 305. Charger 316 may charge power source 350. The charge gauge level 317 can monitor battery information such as voltage, current, estimated state of charge, estimated capacity, cycle count, battery authentication, and the like. The charge level indicator 317 may provide this information to the controller 305 for use, for example, to indicate battery status through the user interface 320. Battery protection 318 may include switches to switch cells (such as lithium cells, or other cells, discrete power storage units, and power source 350) into and out of the circuit to protect the device 300 from being overcharged, overdischarged, discharged too quickly, and the like. The LDO controller 319 may regulate the output voltage of the lithium battery 350 in order to provide power to the rest of the vaporizer 300.

[0042] The user interface 320 includes a buzzer 322 (also referred to as a speaker), a light emitting diode (LED) driver 323, and a plurality of LEDs 324. The buzzer 322 may provide audible and/or tactile feedback (e.g., vibration), and the LED driver 323 and a plurality of LEDs 324 may provide visual feedback to the user.

[0043] Additional sensors 325 include an ambient pressure sensor 327 and an accelerometer 328. Accelerometer 328 may provide the ability to detect rapid movement (such as a shaking motion) of vaporizer 300, which may be interpreted by controller 305 (e.g., by receiving a signal from accelerometer 328 ) as a user command to initiate communication with a user device that is part of the evaporator system and that can be used to control one or more of the operations and/or parameters of the evaporator device 300. Additionally or alternatively, detection of rapid movement (such as a shaking motion) of the evaporator device 300 may be interpreted by the controller 305 as a user command to cycle through a set of temperature settings to which the volatilized substance retained in the cartridge should be heated by the operation of the control system 310 ania couple.

[0044] FIG. 4 is a system block diagram of an exemplary integrated power control unit 400 according to some aspects of the present invention, which can improve power management, reduce power requirements, provide flexible heater control, reduce the number of discrete components, thereby reducing variability in performance, and so on. .P. An exemplary integrated power control unit 400 may perform the functionality of a steam control system 310; power and battery systems 315; and a user interface 320. An exemplary integrated power control unit 400 may interface with the microcontroller 305 and integrate the analog and power subsystems on the main board and the high power pigtail.

[0045] An exemplary integrated power control unit 400 includes a heater controller 405, a metering circuit 410, a DC rectifier 415, a battery charger 420, system power rails (not shown), an LED driver 425, a buzzer driver 430, and a pressure gauge subsystem 435. In some implementations, the exemplary integrated power control unit 400 does not integrate sensors (accelerometer, pressure sensors) and additional support components such as a docking module connector 345, an antenna 330, a connector 340, and a memory 335.

[0046] The integrated power control unit 400 may include LDO controllers 440, a step-down switching buck converter 445 (e.g., buck), and a boost converter 450. The integrated power control unit 400 may include an analog-to-digital converter (ADC ) 455 to monitor the system voltages and currents that are provided by the power control unit 400. The ADC 455 can monitor chip and remote NTC temperatures, monitor system temperatures in order to implement protection mechanisms, as described more fully below.

[0047] The integrated power control unit 400 may include an input/output (I/O) device and a system control unit 460 that allows the controller 305 to modify the operation (eg, configure) of the integrated power control unit 400. The IO and system manager 460 may include an internal oscillator as well as connections for an external oscillator to generate the system clock.

[0048] The heater controller 405 may provide an integrated heat flow path and current source for heating a dockable module heating element 480 (also referred to as a docking module load) that resides in the dockable module. Fig. 5 is a system block diagram illustrating an exemplary heater controller 405 in accordance with some implementations of the present invention. Heater controller 405 may include a heat flow path that may include load switches 505 (eg, switches as illustrated, half-bridge topology, etc.) that control the application of current source 510 or external voltage 515 (denoted VSYS /VBST) to the plug-in load 480 via the control line (labeled as out+). The load switches 505 may have non-overlapping circuits to ensure time synchronization (eg, without the risk of backfeeding). The load switches may be controlled by control logic 520, which may be programmed and/or configured to control the load switches 505 to heat the docking module heater 480 to heat the vaporized material contained in the docking module. Control logic 520 may include one or more input terminals 525 or pins that may receive signals from a device controller 305 or other system in the evaporator or integrated heater controller 405. Similarly, current source 510 may be programmable and controlled by control logic 520. Load switches 505 may also be controlled by protection mechanism circuits 530, described more fully below.

[0049] In some implementations, the load switches 505 may be implemented as a half-bridge topology in which the DC battery voltage is converted to a waveform in the range of 0 V to the battery voltage by changing the pulse width modulation frequency. This variable voltage/power waveform can be used to drive the dock heater 480. A half-bridge implementation can allow for higher inductive loads as the current flows idle during the turn-off time.

[0050] The integrated heater controller 405 may include an integrated voltage monitor 535 and a current monitor 540 coupled to control logic 520 via a decimator 545 . The integrated voltage monitor 535 may include an ADC 537 and an analog input block 539 that may be connected to the mate via sense+ and sense- connections to measure the voltage at the ends of the mate's heating element 480. The integrated current monitor 540 may include an ADC 542, an analog input block 543, and a switch 544 connected to the control line (out+) to measure the current on the control line (out+). The switch 544 may be configured to connect the integrated current monitor 540 to either a current source 510 or an external voltage 515, according to the operating mode of the device. The voltage monitor 535 and the current monitor 540 can provide their respective measurements, via the decimator 545, to the control logic 520 for processing and analysis. By using the integrated voltage monitor 535 and the integrated current monitor 540, which can provide real-time and synchronous measurement of voltage and current, faster control loop response time and more accurate temperature control can be possible. Signal conditioning and filtering through the analog input blocks 538, 543 provide lower noise measurements.

[0051] In some implementations, guaranteed performance may be possible (eg, absolute accuracy, gain variability, group delay, etc.). In some implementations, a dedicated integrated circuit interconnect (I2C) port may be provided to continuously request data (e.g., 8 kHz) to the controller 305.

[0052] In some implementations, integrated heater controller 405 may include an integrated boost converter 550. Boost converter 550 may provide an optional source to heater load switches 505 and may be disabled/bypassed. Inclusion of boost converter 550 can allow flexible power delivery ranges for various docking module impedances with high efficiency. In some implementations, boost converter 550 may support programmable output voltage and current limits.

[0053] In some implementations, the integrated heater controller 405 may include remote voltage sensing using a 4-wire sensing that compensates for losses caused by parasitic and mating module contact resistances. This approach can provide accurate and consistent measurements of the docking module for more precise temperature control. In some implementations, a multiplexer (mux) may be included to switch one voltage monitor 535 line between one or more of the four connections of the docking module. For example, the multiplexer can be implemented such that it can switch the first connection of the voltage monitor 535 between sense+ and out+.

[0054] The integrated heater controller 405 may include one or more protection circuits 530. Fig. 6 is a system block diagram illustrating exemplary protection mechanism circuits 530 in more detail. Protection mechanisms may also be referred to as failover and safety mechanism schemes. Protection circuits 530 may be operatively coupled to the system clock, control logic 520, and may include configurable protection comparators 605 that compare predetermined thresholds (eg, stored in registers) with vaporizer operating parameters. These operating parameters may include voltage (e.g., interface module input, interface module output, voltage boost), current (e.g., interface module input, interface module output), temperature (e.g., die, negative temperature resistors). coefficient (NTC)), current limit (eg boost converter, battery charger) and short circuit (eg output). During operation of the evaporator, operating parameters that may be obtained by one or more sensors or measuring circuits may be compared to their respective threshold values to determine if the operating parameter is above or below the threshold. If an operating parameter is determined to be abnormal (eg, above an upper threshold or below a lower threshold), the protection mechanisms may signal an alarm to the control logic 520. In response to receiving an alert from the protection mechanism circuits 530, the control logic 520 may modify the operation of the device, for example , may cut off some subsystems from power (for example, disconnect circuits or parts of an evaporator device). For example, if the mate temperature is determined to be too high and the protection mechanism circuits 530 generate an alert, control logic 520 may decouple the heat path (eg, current source 510, load switches 505) from providing current to the mate heater 480.

[0055] Another exemplary protection mechanism (eg, failover) may include a heater timeout. Protection mechanism circuitry 530 may include a hardware timer that may disable continuous heating of mating module (eg, coil) heating element 480 to protect against firmware or sensor freezing. In some implementations, the timeout durations may be programmable (eg, 5 s, 10 s, 20 s, 40 s, etc.).

[0056] Another exemplary protection mechanism (eg, fail-safe) may include over temperature protection. The protection mechanism circuits 530 may implement a thermal protection circuit that uses various thermal sensors in the evaporator to throttle and/or shut down various subsystems. These thermal sensors may include Negative Temperature Coefficient (NTC) resistors that provide temperature monitoring at various locations in the system for symptom throttling and protection, dedicated battery NTC for throttling based charge and protection, on-chip temperature monitoring to prevent silicon damage, etc. In the event that the protection circuitry 530 determines that the evaporator temperature is too high, control logic 520 may modify the operation of the evaporator to reduce heat generation. The reduction in heat generation can be done, for example, by changing the speed of the clock generator; supply voltage levels; power outages of some subsystems or fragments of the device and/or circuits; and so on.

[0057] Another exemplary protection mechanism (eg, fail-safe) may include over-voltage/current protection (OVP/OCP) and under-voltage power lockout (UVLO). The protection mechanism circuits 530 may disable the subsystem and functionality if the voltage and currents are outside the expected operating range (eg, when detected by the protection comparators 605, which may include fast response comparator based flip-flops). In some implementations, OVP/OCP and UVLO may be implemented in the signal path of the heater and high power subsystems.

[0058] Another exemplary protection mechanism (eg, fail-safe) may include short circuit protection. Protection mechanism circuits 530 may turn off outputs of various subsystems when electrical faults are detected (eg, current draw may increase and a short may be detected by protection comparator 605). In some implementations, short-circuit protection may be implemented for the output power rails for the charger, DCDC converters, LED driver, speaker (eg, buzzer), amplifier, and the like. In some implementations, short circuit protection may be implemented for the mate heater 480 output using programmable resistance thresholds.

[0059] Another exemplary protection mechanism (eg, fail-safe) may include current limits. Protection mechanism circuits 530 and protection comparators 605 can detect a maximum current threshold (eg, maximum limit) in order to prevent external devices/components from being overrated. In some implementations, these current limit thresholds may be programmable.

[0060] Another exemplary protection mechanism (eg, fail-safe) may include multi-level throttling and power dip protection. Protection mechanism circuits 530 and protection comparators 605 can perform real-time monitoring of system voltages and temperatures. The control logic 520 may, in response to the protection circuitry 530 determining that an alarm is being triggered, disable the functionality of various evaporator subsystems depending on system conditions (e.g., turn off heating when cold, turn off charging when hot, etc.). In some implementations, these thresholds and modes of operation may be programmable.

[0061] Another exemplary protection mechanism (eg, failover) may include a redundant clock source. Protection mechanism circuitry 530 may include an internal RCO and optionally an external 32 kHz XTAL. Such a redundant clock source can guarantee real-time clock (RTC) functionality that controls the heater timeout safety flag so that the RTC is not dependent on an external component that may be more prone to failure.

[0062] Another exemplary protection mechanism (eg, fail-safe) may include a hardware watchdog. Protection mechanism circuitry 530 may include an external clock pin 610 required to maintain the functionality of the heat flow path. Such a hardware watchdog can protect against firmware or hardware (eg, sensor) state latches (eg, freezes, pauses, etc.). In some implementations, the clock timing thresholds may be programmable.

[0063] Another exemplary protection mechanism (eg, fail-safe) may include a heater stop prohibition pin 615. Protection mechanism circuits 530 may include an open drain architecture that allows other subsystems (eg, controller 305) to turn off the heater (eg, sensor failure). In some implementations, turning off the heater includes a programmable delay time.

[0064] Another exemplary protection mechanism (eg, fail-safe) may include a UVLO pin 620. The protection mechanism circuits 530 may include an additional UVLO pin 620 to notify the system of low voltage, which may enable other external subsystems handle low voltage conditions independently.

[0065] Another exemplary protection mechanism (eg, failover) may include a fast and graceful shutdown mode. The protection mechanism circuits 530 can instruct the shutdown mode caused by fault conditions or protection mechanisms handled gracefully in hardware without the need for firmware control. For example, with respect to OVP, OCP, short circuit protection, over temperature protection, the heater and/or high power subsystems can be turned off immediately (for example, within 10-100 µs) in a manner that does not rely on ADC sampling to determine conditions. malfunctions. In some implementations, each subsystem may have an associated shutdown mechanism and/or circuitry. For example, failures in heater controller 405 may shut down the heater unit rather than other portions of the system.

[0066] In some implementations, one or more parameters, settings, or values may be configured as One Time Programmable (OTP). The various timeout and security features described can be hard-coded through the producer or consumer OTP. The desired settings, which are OTPs, can be specified once and then cannot be reprogrammed or reconfigured afterwards. OTP can prevent misconfiguration or user error, and the central failsafe associated values are not subject to unwanted modification (eg, after market modification).

[0067] In some implementations, integrated heater controller 405 may include additional pins coupled to control logic 520 to instruct integrated heater controller 405 to operate. For example, these pins may include a heat select pin 625, a heat pulse width modulation (PWM) pin 630, a heater ready pin 635, a clock line (SCL) pin 640, and a data line (SDA) pin 645. ). The heat select pin 625 may include a selection between a current source and a load switch to drive the docking module. The heating PWM 630 may turn on a load switch to vary the power supplied to the docking module heater 480 to control the temperature. Heat ready pin 635 may include an enable pin for heater controller 405. The heater stop pin may include a disable terminal to turn off the heater controller 405. SCL pin 640 and SDA pin 645 can include a dedicated I2C bus to request heater voltage and current measurement data.

[0068] In some implementations, and as noted above, the integrated heater controller 405 may include registers for configuring operating parameters (including performance and safety parameters) such as overvoltage protection (OVP), overcurrent protection (OCP) , current limits, hardware timeouts, etc.

[0069] In some implementations, the integrated heater controller 405 may provide many technical advantages. For example, an integrated heater controller 405 may reduce the number of discrete external components required in an evaporative device, which may reduce variability in device performance due to component tolerance and mismatch. Additionally, the integrated heater controller 405 may include fast start-up from sleep (eg, 5 ms) and fast measurement settling times (eg, < 100 µs).

[0070] Referring again to FIG. 4, in some implementations, integrated power control unit 400 includes protection mechanisms 470. Protection mechanisms 470 may be implemented in heater controller 405 as described with respect to FIG. 5, or in the power control unit 400 as a logical unit separate from the heater controller 405. The protection mechanisms can act on all units independently and can respond in the same way, such as tripping when a short circuit is detected.

[0071] In some implementations, the integrated power control unit 400 may include a docking module ID 465. Dock ID 465 can store calibration data and dock information, which can be provided for a better user experience through more detailed and accurate usage information (which device of the dock was viewed, nicotine consumption log, fill level estimates of the dock, etc. .). In some implementations, the docking module ID is factory programmed to prevent tampering. Communication can be wireless, power line signaling, or wired signaling.

[0072] Some implementations of the present invention may provide electrical improvements for evaporative devices. For example, some implementations of the present invention may include a linear charger for feature parity (e.g., feature parity may be achieved for charge performance in terms of charge time and efficiency) or a switching charger for faster charge rates and fewer hot spots. Some implementations may include integrated voltage and/or current monitoring on the xBUS/xBAT/xSYS lines, which may be USB, battery, and system voltage and current measurements; hardware adjustable current limit (ILIM), charging current, termination voltage, etc.; compliance with the standard of the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industry Association (JEITA); may include remote temperature monitoring of a plurality of NTCs; and may include an integrated DC input rectifier;

[0073] In some implementations, LED-shaping is suitable for driving 6 LEDs with improved performance compared to a discrete driver. Some LED driver implementations can drive current in the range of 50 uA to 25 mA, including 11-bit current step resolution with PWM attenuation without requiring a CP. In some implementations, LED shaping can detect when an LED shorts and/or opens when the LED is overvoltage and overcurrent. In some implementations, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) performance may meet or exceed known systems.

[0074] In some implementations, the speaker/buzzer driver may include a full H-shaped bridge topology allowing the buzzer to move back and forth. Sample rates can include 8 kHz or 16 kHz with 8-bit or 12-bit resolution. The speaker/buzzer driver may include a pulse density modulation (PDM) input, short circuit protection, and an internal RAM loaded with the waveform and looping support functionality.

[0075] Some implementations of the present invention allow for lower power consumption. For example, an integrated SoC/PMU can provide full power state management across all subsystems. Power states may be configurable via SoC or wakeup sources. A wake source with a dock ID can be used to keep the device in the lowest possible power state without a dock, so that the device operates in an ultra-low power mode (eg, hibernation) when the dock is not attached. In some implementations, hibernation mode may consume 1.1uA, sleep mode may consume 5uA (various sleep/dock detection and non-BLE modes), and BLE-advertise mode may consume 1.7mA, which can power the device for ~ 1 week in some implementations.

[0076] Some implementations of the present invention include internal ADCs for all internal power rails, which may allow full and extensive in-line factory testing and may allow full system monitoring during use. Self-testing can reduce the need for complex test stand assemblies and test procedures. The test time is reduced and the units per hour (UPH) are increased. Some implementations may include a simplified surface mount assembly (SMA) with fewer ICs, discrete components, and skills.

[0077] Some implementations of the present invention may include a single-chip module (CSP) sized package that can replace 16 or more discrete ICs; reduce the number of points of failure; reduce the number of external passive components; and can be implemented in increments of 0.35 mm (or other size).

[0078] Referring again to FIG. 3, some implementations of the present invention may include an evaporative device that uses a separate heater controller, such as or similar to the heater controller 405 described with reference to FIG. 4-6 instead of a discrete steam control system 310 without replacing the power and battery system 315 or the user interface 320 with an integrated circuit. Some implementations of the present invention may include an evaporative device that uses an integrated power control unit such as or similar to the integrated power control unit 400 described with reference to FIG. 3-6 instead of discrete power and battery system 315, user interface 320, and steam control system 310. Other implementations and variations are possible.

[0079] FIG. 7 is a system block diagram illustrating another example of a heater controller 700 in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention. The illustrated example includes an integrated output multiplexer 705 for switching the excitation line (out+) and measurement (sense+, sense-) which can be performed to measure and compensate for bad contacts of the docking module. The multiplexer 705 can accept out+, sense+, sense- and a fourth line (eg ground) and provide four output lines (out1+, out2+, out1- and out2-). The multiplexer 705 may provide the ability to heat both contacts or perform a remote 4-point voltage measurement on both combinations of contacts. For example, if mux 705 connects the sense+ line to out2+ and it is determined that the pin associated with the out2+ line is faulty, mux 705 may switch the sense+ line (eg, voltage monitor) to the out1+ line in order to continue operation. The exemplary multiplexer 705 illustrated in FIG. 7 includes four switches (707a, 707b, 707c and 707d), two multiplexing out+ and sense+ (707a, 707b); and two switches multiplexing sens- and ground (707c, 707d).

[0080] FIG. 8 is a system block diagram illustrating another example of a heater controller according to some implementations of the present invention. The multiplexer 805 in the illustrated example includes three switches multiplexing out+ and sense+ (807a, 807b and 807c); and three switches multiplexing sens- and ground (807d, 807e, 807f). The example illustrated in FIG. 8 may be useful in that it may provide the ability to perform voltage measurements across both combinations of contacts.

[0081] In some implementations, the integrated output multiplexer provides the ability to perform remote 4-wire voltage measurement on one or the other pair of output lines to compensate for poor contact resistance with the docking module, and may provide the ability to locally 2-wire voltage measurement to compensate for parasitic trace resistance.

[0082] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a system according to some implementations of the present invention. In the example in FIG. 9, the heat and temperature control logic 905 may include and/or enable additional functionality including user-programmable coil and system parameters such as use of coil parameters 910, heat profiles 915, and demand profiles 920. An exemplary heater controller may provide integrated and customizable closed loop control. The heat and temperature control logic 905 can receive measurements from voltage and current monitors, perform resistance calculation, temperature conversion, adaptive PID, and heater drive to control load switches in the heat flow path.

[0083] The heat and temperature control logic 905 may use coil parameters 910 that relate coil resistance to temperature (thus, the temperature of the coil (e.g., the mate's heating element 480) cannot be directly measured, but is determined from the measured voltage and current) . The heating and temperature control logic 905 may use a heating profile 915 that may represent the temperature of the coil over time. The heating profile 915 may allow the heating and temperature control logic 905 to appropriately energize the mating module heater 480 (eg, coil) in order to achieve the target temperature. The heat and temperature control logic 905 may use a retraction profile 920, which may be indicative of the amount of steam (eg, variable steam duty cycle) to generate based on the retraction force of the puff. The retraction profile 920 can be used to implement dynamic and/or variable steam production.

[0084] In some implementations, the heat and temperature control logic 905 may include user-programmable coil parameters. These user-programmable coil parameters may include target coil resistance (TCP), which may allow accurate calculation of coil temperature for a wide range of dockable modules (which may be implemented in the form of a lookup table, as a mathematical function, etc.); target control temperature for evaporation; and the minimum and maximum expected range of coil resistance to check for failures and to optimize the measuring range.

[0085] In some implementations, the heat and temperature control logic 905 may include user-programmable system parameters. These may include a heating profile 915 that allows for a more consistent vapor experience; a retraction profile 920 that allows for a more customizable and realistic vapor experience; minimum and maximum duty cycle for binding the mode of operation of the hardware in various (eg, all) operating conditions; maximum power, which can provide a more consistent heating profile and can protect the system under different (eg, all) operating conditions; and PID coefficients for tuning the closed loop algorithm.

[0086] In some implementations, the heat and temperature control logic may include one-time programmable settings and protection/throttling mechanisms that can ensure safe operation regardless of the mode of operation of the control loop; the output signal of the closed loop temperature control unit can control the heater unit to the appropriate drive level; input to the closed loop temperature control unit can be obtained for coil/system parameters and dedicated monitors measuring coil voltage and current; and may include flexible trigger sources such as the option of providing a fixed level of draw/steam generation and/or the option of providing a level dependent trigger that can provide variable steam production based on draw strength.

[0087] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of alternating steam generation. The draw profile 1005 (which may relate draw force and duty cycle) and steam profile 1010 (which may relate steam generation and duty cycle) can be used to create alternating steam generation. In variable steam generation, the duty cycle of the heater can be changed to adjust the coil temperature to achieve the target temperature over time. This may include the warm-up times that will reach the target temperature during turn-on (for example, the time that the dock is at the evaporation temperature) and the turn-off time (for example, the time that the dock is at a temperature below the evaporation temperature), so that multiple on and off periods can occur within a single puff. By having a variable duration of the on-off periods, the amount of steam generated can be adjusted. With this approach, the user can specify certain volumes of steam (eg increase or decrease) to be generated during a puff.

[0088] In some implementations, variable steam generation may provide the user with a more personalized and/or realistic steam profile. Variable steam can be generated by a time cycle in which the coil temperature is adjusted to the evaporation temperature. The volume of steam generated can be fixed via the user application or dynamically changed in real time based on the pull force. A draw profile (eg duty cycle for a given draw force) and steam profile (steam generation during a given duty cycle) can be used to create this variable steam profile. The frequency of the variable steam duty cycle can be high enough not to cause noticeable gaps in evaporation, and low enough so that the heating PWM has enough cycles to regulate to the evaporation temperature.

[0089] FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating docking module identifier circuits 1105 according to some implementations. The dockable module 1110 may include a heating coil 1115 and a dockable module identifier integrated circuit (PIC) 1105. Two exemplary PIC implementations are illustrated at 1105a and 1105b.

[0090] The PIC 1105 may include a 2-pin device, one pin for ground and one for power and data. The power and data transmission of the PIC 1105 through a single-wire circuit can be flexible as long as the main IC on the device side uses the same protocol. In some implementations, the PIC 1105 may contain a 1 kV OTP for information sorting, internal logic for reading/writing to the OTP, and an internal power supply to properly power the internal logic, given the single-wire power/data scheme. The OTP information store of the PIC 1105 can be user-defined and flexible in structure. The OTP for the PIC 1105 can be designed to be programmable on the production line of the docking module and cannot be modified/overwritten once programmed. The one-time programming store of the PIC 1105 can be configured to store specific docking module information such as serial number, flavor, coil resistance, and various other docking module parameters. Such information can be used by the system to further improve performance (eg, heat consistency) and security through the authentication of the docking module.

[0091] FIG. 12 illustrates an exemplary power control block 1200 according to some implementations. Power control unit 1200 may include a bridge rectifier and dedicated over voltage protection (OVP) and over temperature protection (OTP) circuits. In addition, the power control unit 1200 may include a communication mode control to enable data transmission functionality over the power line. The power control unit 1200 connects to an external connection, such as contacts configured to connect to a USB connection, and includes charging and data transfer functionality. The power control unit 1200 may serve to protect other circuit components from excessive voltage and/or temperature caused by charging. Additionally, by including the power line communication functionality, the power control unit 1200 can reduce the number of required pins (eg, pins) from four (two for power and two for data) to two (and power and data share the same same two contacts).

[0092] As noted above, some aspects of the present invention relate to a combined power and heater control. In some implementations, the integrated power control unit 400 may be formed as a single integrated circuit or multiple integrated circuits working together. The following description relates to exemplary evaporative devices in which one or more features of the present invention may be implemented. These exemplary evaporators are described to provide context to the descriptions of the features provided by the present invention.

[0093] FIG. 1A-2C illustrate exemplary vaporizers 100, 200, and features that may be included therein consistent with implementations of the present invention. Fig. 1A shows a schematic view of a vaporizer 100 that includes a cartridge 114, and FIG. 1B-1E show views of an exemplary evaporator 100 with an evaporator body 101 and a cartridge 114. FIG. 1B and 1C show top views before and after the cartridge 114 is attached to the evaporator body 101. Fig. 1D shows an isometric perspective view of an evaporator 100 which includes an evaporator body 101 integrated with a cartridge 114, and FIG. 1E shows an isometric perspective view of one form of cartridge 114 storing a liquid vaporizable material. In general, when a vaporizer includes a cartridge (such as cartridge 114), cartridge 114 may include one or more reservoirs 120 configured to contain a vaporizable material. Any appropriate vaporizable material may be contained in reservoir 120 of cartridge 114, including nicotine solutions or other organics, as well as compounds, which may include one or more pure (e.g., undissolved in solvent) chemistries, mixtures, preparations, etc. .d.

[0094] As noted above, the vaporizer 100 shown in FIG. 1 includes the evaporator main body 101. As shown in FIG. 1, an evaporative device body 101 consistent with embodiments of the present invention may include a power source 103 (e.g., a device or system that stores electrical energy for use on demand), which may be a battery, a capacitor, a combination thereof, or the like. .p., and which may or may not be rechargeable. A controller 105, which may include a processor (eg, a programmable processor, dedicated circuitry, or the like), may also be included as part of the evaporator main body 101. The evaporator body 101 may include a housing that surrounds one or more evaporator body components such as power source 103, controller 105, and/or any of the other components described herein that are part of such a device. In various implementations of a vaporizer that includes a vaporizer body 101 and a cartridge 114, the cartridge 114 may be attached to, in, or partially in the vaporizer body 101. For example, the evaporator body 101 may include a cartridge holder 152 into which the cartridge 114 may be received in an insertion manner.

[0095] The processor of the controller 105 may include circuitry to control the operation of the heater 118, which may optionally include one or more heating elements to vaporize the volatilized substance contained in the cartridge 114, for example, in a reservoir or container, which forms part of the cartridge 114. In various implementations, the heater 118 may be present in the main body 101 of the evaporation device or in the cartridge 114 (as shown in Fig. 1A), or both. The controller circuit may include one or more clock generators (oscillators), a charging circuit, I/O controllers, a memory device, and so on. Alternatively, or in addition, the controller circuitry may include circuitry for one or more wireless communication modes, including Bluetooth, near field communication (NFC), Wi-Fi, ultrasound, ZigBee, RFID, and so on. The evaporator body 101 may also include a memory 125 that may form part of the controller 105 or otherwise communicate with the controller. Memory 125 may include volatile (eg, random access memory) and/or nonvolatile (eg, read only memory, flash memory, semiconductor storage device, hard drive, other magnetic storage device, etc.) memory, or storage device.

[0096] Further, with reference to FIG. 1, vaporizer 100 may include a charger 133 (and a charging circuit that may be controlled by controller 105), optionally including an inductive charger and/or a pluggable external charger. For example, a universal serial bus (USB) connection may be used to charge vaporizer 100 and/or to allow wired communication between the computing device and controller 105. Charger 133 may charge built-in power source 103. Evaporative device 100 consistent with embodiments of the present invention may also include one or more input devices 117, such as buttons, dials, or the like, a sensor 137, which may include one or more sensors, such as accelerometers. or other motion sensors, pressure sensors (eg, relative and/or absolute pressure sensors, which may be capacitive, semiconductor, etc.), flow meters, or the like. One or more of these sensors 137 may be used by vaporizer 100 to detect user manipulation and interaction. For example, detection of rapid movement (such as a shaking motion) of vaporizer 100 may be interpreted by controller 105 (eg, by receiving a signal from one or more sensors 137) as a user command to initiate communication with a user device that is part of the vaporizer system, and which may be used to control one or more of the operations and/or parameters of vaporizer 100, as described in more detail below. Additionally or alternatively, detection of rapid movement (eg, a shaking motion) of evaporative device 100 may be interpreted by controller 105 (eg, via receiving a signal from one or more sensors 137) as a user command to cycle through a plurality of temperature settings, according to which vaporized material retained in cartridge 114 must be heated by the operation of heater 118. In some optional variations, detection of removal of cartridge 114 by controller 105 (eg, through receiving a signal from one or more sensors 137) during cycling through a plurality of temperature settings may act with the ability to set the temperature (for example, when the cycle is performed at the desired temperature, the user can remove the cartridge 114 to set the desired temperature). The cartridge 114 can then be re-engaged with the evaporator body 101 by the user to enable the evaporator 100 to be used with the heater controlled by the controller 105 according to the selected temperature setting. A plurality of temperature settings may be indicated through one or more indicators on the main body 101 of the evaporator. The pressure sensor can, as noted above, be used in detecting anything from the start, end or continuation of a puff.

[0097] Evaporative device 100 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention may also include one or more leads 115. Leads 115 as used herein can mean any of optical (eg, LEDs, displays, etc.), tactile ( vibrating, etc.) or acoustic (eg, piezoelectric, etc.) feedback components, etc. or some combination of the above.

[0098] Evaporative device 100 consistent with embodiments of the present invention that includes cartridge 114 may include one or more electrical contacts (e.g., pins, plates, sockets, mating connectors, or other features for electrical connection to other contacts, etc.), such as electrical contacts 109, 111, 113 of the main body of the evaporator shown in FIG. 1A) on or in the main body 101 of the evaporative device, which can engage in a complementary manner the contacts 119, 121, 123 of the cartridge (e.g., pins, plates, sockets, mating connectors, or other features for electrical connection with other contacts, etc.) on the cartridge 114 when the cartridge is engaged with the evaporator body 101. The contacts on the evaporator body 101 are generally referred to herein as "evaporator body contacts", and the contacts on the cartridge 114 are generally referred to herein as "cartridge contacts". These contacts can be used to provide power from power source 103 to heater 118 in embodiments of the present invention in which heater 118 is included in cartridge 114. the evaporator body 101, the power supply circuit can be configured to control the power flow from the power source 103 in the evaporator body 101 to the heater 118 in the cartridge 114. The controller 105 in the evaporator body 101 can adjust this power flow to control the temperature at which the heater 118 heats the vaporized material contained in the cartridge 114.

[0099] While three contacts 109, 111, 113 of the body of the evaporator and three contacts 119, 121, 123 of the cartridge are shown, some implementations of the present invention may use only two of each type of contacts to complete the electrical circuit that can be used to supply power from the power source 103 to the heater 118, and optionally also to measure the temperature of the heating element in the heater (e.g., by briefly and periodically interrupting the flow of current to the heating element, measuring the resistance of the heating element during these short interruptions, and using the coefficient thermal resistance to obtain the temperature from the measured resistance) and/or transfer data between the optional identification device 138 and the controller 105. Alternatively or in addition, additional contacts (for example, optional contacts 113 and 123) may be included for data transfer. th, temperature measurements, pressure sensor measurements (for example, if the pressure sensor is included in the cartridge, while the controller 105 is in the main body 101 of the evaporation device).

[00100] An airflow path (150 in FIG. 1E) may direct air to a heater where the air combines with vaporized vapor from reservoir 120 so that an inhalable aerosol is formed for delivery to a user through mouthpiece 144, which may also be part of cartridge 114. The airflow path 150 may, in some examples, extend between the outer surface of the cartridge 114 and the inner surface of the cartridge holder on the evaporator body 101, as described further below.

[00101] Any compatible electrical contact may be used, including pins (eg, spring pins), plates, and the like. In addition, as described below, in some embodiments of the present invention, one-way or two-way communication is provided between the evaporator body 101 and the cartridge 114 through one or more electrical contacts, which may include electrical contacts used to provide power from the power source 103 to the heater. 118, which may include a heating element such as a resistance heating element. Cartridge 114 and evaporator body 101 may be releasably coupled together, for example, by engaging a portion of cartridge body 114 with evaporator body 101 and/or evaporator body in a mechanical connection (e.g., snap-fit and/or friction fit). Alternatively or additionally, the cartridge 114 and the evaporator body 101 may be connected magnetically or through some other connecting or engaging mechanism. Other types of connection are also within the scope of the present invention, as long as there are combinations of two or more types of connection.

[00102] FIG. 1B-1F illustrate an example of an evaporator 100 with an evaporator body 101 and a cartridge 114. Both are shown separated in FIG. 1B and connected in FIG. 1C. Fig. 1D shows an isometric perspective view of the combined evaporator body 101 and cartridge 114, and FIG. 1E and FIG. 1F show a single cartridge 114 from two different views. Fig. 1B-1F together illustrate an exemplary cartridge-based evaporator device incorporating many of the features generally shown in FIGS. 1A. Other configurations, including some or all of the features described herein, are also within the scope of the present invention. Fig. 1D shows an evaporator 100 having a cartridge 114 attached to the cartridge holder 152 of the evaporator main body 101. In some embodiments of the present invention, reservoir 120 may be formed entirely or partially of a translucent material such that the level of vaporized material is visible from window 158. Cartridge 114 and vaporizer body 101 may be configured such that window 158 remains visible when cartridge 114 in an insertion manner is received by the cartridge holder 152 . For example, in one exemplary configuration, window 158 may be located between the bottom edge of mouthpiece 144 and the top edge of vaporizer body 101 when cartridge 114 is connected to cartridge holder 152.

[00103] FIG. 1E illustrates an exemplary airflow path 150 for air to be drawn by a user puffing on the outside of cartridge 114 past heater 118 (e.g., through a vaporization chamber that includes or contains heater 118, and to a mouthpiece 144 to deliver an inhalable aerosol. The mouthpiece may in optionally having a plurality of openings through which the inhaled aerosol is delivered.For example, a cartridge holder 152 may be present at one end of the evaporator body 101 such that the insertion end 154 of the cartridge 114 may be inserted into the cartridge holder 152. When the insertion end 154 of the cartridge fully inserted into the cartridge holder 152, the inner surface of the cartridge holder 152 forms one surface of the airflow path portion 150, and the outer surface of the cartridge insertion end 154 forms the other surface of that airflow path portion.

[00104] As shown in FIG. 1E, this configuration causes air to flow around the insertion end 154 of the cartridge into the cartridge holder 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 as it enters the main chamber. portion of the cartridge toward the vaporization chamber and heater 118. The airflow path 150 then passes through the interior of the cartridge 114, such as through one or more tubes or internal channels to one or more outlets 156 formed in the mouthpiece 144. For a cartridge having a non-cylindrical shape 144, the mouthpiece 114 may similarly be non-cylindrical, and more than one outlet 156 may be formed in the mouthpiece, optionally placed in a row along the longer of the two transverse axes of the cartridge 114, where the longitudinal axis of the cartridge is oriented in the direction which cartridge 114 moves i for insertion-receiving or otherwise attaching to the evaporator body 101, and the two transverse axes are perpendicular to each other and to the longitudinal axis.

[00105] FIG. 1F shows additional features that may be included in a cartridge 114 consistent with the present invention. For example, the cartridge 114 may include two cartridge contacts 119, 121 located at the insertion end 154, which is configured to be inserted into the cartridge holder 152 of the evaporator body 101. These cartridge contacts 119, 121 may optionally each be part of a single metal piece that 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 which defines a portion of the air flow path 150 between the heating chamber formed between the two conductive structures 159, 161 and the mouthpiece 144.

[00106] As mentioned above, the cartridge 114 and optionally the evaporator body 101 may optionally be non-circular in cross section, with different elongations (for example, one of the two transverse axes that are orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the evaporator 100 is longer than the other) considered cross-sectional shapes, including approximately rectangular, approximately diamond-shaped, approximately triangular or trapezoidal, approximately oval in shape, etc. One of ordinary skill in the art will be well aware that the use of the word "approximately" in this context implies that any vertices of the cross-sectional shape should not be sharp, but may instead have a non-zero radius of curvature, and that any surfaces between such vertices should not be completely flat, but may instead have a non-infinite radius of curvature.

[00107] FIG. 2A-2C refer to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention in which the evaporator device is not based on a cartridge. Fig. 2A shows a schematic drawing of a vaporizer 200 that does not use a cartridge (but may still optionally accept a cartridge), but may alternatively (or additionally) be configured for use with loose-leaf material or some other vaporizable material (e.g., a solid , wax, etc.). Evaporator 200 in FIG. 2A may be configured to receive, in the thermal chamber 220 (eg, a flash chamber), a vaporizable material such as a loose vaporizer, wax, and/or some other liquid or solid vaporizer. Many elements similar to those present in vaporizer 100 using cartridge 114 shown in FIG. 1A-1E may also be included as part of a vaporizer 200 that does not require the use of cartridges. For example, evaporative device 200 may include, in one package, a control circuit 105, which may include a power control circuit, and/or a wireless communication circuit 207 and/or a memory 125. A power source 103 (e.g., a battery, a capacitor, and etc.) in the case may be charged by the charger 133 (and may include a charge control circuit, not shown). Vaporizer 200 may also include one or more output devices 115 and one or more input devices 117 with sensors 137 that may include one or more of the sensors discussed above with respect to cartridge-based vaporizer 100. In addition, the evaporation device 200 may include one or more heaters 118 that heat the evaporation chamber, which may be a thermal chamber 220 or other heating chamber. Heater 118 may be controlled using the resistance of heater 118 to determine the temperature of the heater, such as by using a temperature coefficient of resistivity for the heater. A mouthpiece 144 may also be included in such a vaporizer 200 to deliver the formed inhalable aerosol to a user. Fig. 2B shows a side isometric perspective view of an exemplary evaporator 200 with a evaporator body 201. In isometric view from below in FIG. 2C, cover 230 is shown removed from evaporator body 201 to reveal thermal/evaporation chamber 220.

[00108] One or more aspects or features of the invention described herein may be implemented in a digital electronic circuit, integrated circuit, custom application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), computer hardware, firmware, software and/or a combination of the foregoing. These various aspects or features may include implementation in one or more computer programs that may be executed and/or interpreted for a programmable system including at least one programmable processor, which may be special purpose or general purpose, connected with the ability to receive data and instructions from and transmit data and instructions to the data storage system, at least one input device and at least one output device.

[00109] These computer programs, which may also be referred to as "programs", "software", "applications", "applications", "components", or "code", include machine instructions for a programmable processor and may be implemented in a high-level procedural language, object-oriented programming language, functional programming language, logic programming language and/or assembly/machine language. As used herein, the term "computer-readable medium" means any computer program product, hardware, and/or device, such as, for example, magnetic disks, optical disks, memory, and programmable logic devices (PLDs), used to provide machine instructions and/or data to a programmable processor including a computer-readable medium that receives the machine instructions as a computer-readable signal. The expression "machine readable signal" refers to any signal used to provide machine instructions and/or data to a programmable processor. The computer-readable medium may store such machine instructions in a non-volatile manner, for example, in a manner similar to a non-volatile semiconductor memory device or a magnetic hard disk, or any equivalent storage medium. A computer-readable medium may alternatively or additionally store such machine instructions in a volatile manner, eg, in a manner similar to a processor cache or other random access memory associated with one or more physical processor cores.

[00110] To provide user interaction, one or more aspects or features of the invention described herein may be implemented on a computer having a display device such as, for example, a cathode ray tube (CRT) or a liquid crystal display (LCD). ), or a light emitting diode (LED) monitor for displaying information to the user, and a keyboard and pointing device, such as, for example, a mouse or trackball, through which the user can provide input to the computer. Other kinds of devices may also be used to provide for user interaction. For example, the feedback sent to the user may be any form of sensory feedback, such as, for example, visual feedback, acoustic 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 devices such as single or multi-point resistive or capacitive touch panels, speech recognition hardware and software, optical scanners, optical pointers, digital capture devices. images and associated interpretation software, and the like. A computer remote from the analyzer can be connected to the analyzer via a wired or wireless network to enable communication between the analyzer and the remote computer (for example, receiving data on the remote computer from the analyzer and transmitting information such as calibration data, operating parameters, upgrades or software updates, etc.), as well as remote control, diagnostics, etc. analyzer.

[00111] In the above descriptions and in the claims, phrases such as "at least one of" or "one or more of" may occur followed by a conjunctive list of elements or features. The term "and/or" may also occur in a list of two or more elements or features. Unless otherwise implicitly or explicitly contradicted by the context in which it is used, such phrase is not intended to mean any of the listed elements or features alone, or any of the set forth elements or features in combination with any of the other set forth elements or features. For example, the phrases "at least one of A and B"; "one or more of A and B"; and "A and/or B" are intended to mean "only A, only B, or A and B together". A similar interpretation is also intended for lists that include three or more items. For example, the phrases "at least one of A, B and C"; "one or more of A, B and C"; and "A, B and/or C" are meant to mean "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 on" above and in the claims is intended to mean "at least partially based on", so that an unstated feature or element is also acceptable.

[00112] The invention described herein may be implemented in systems, equipment, methods, and/or articles, depending on the desired configuration. The implementations set forth in the above description do not represent all implementations in accordance with the invention described in this document. Instead, they are simply some examples in accordance with aspects related to the described invention. While several variations are detailed above, other modifications or additions are possible. In particular, additional features and/or variations may be provided in addition to the features and/or variations set forth herein. For example, the implementations described above may target various combinations and subcombinations of the disclosed features and/or combinations and subcombinations of several additional features disclosed above. In addition, the logical sequences of operations illustrated in the accompanying drawings and/or described herein do not necessarily require the specific order shown or sequential order in order to achieve the desired results. Other implementations may be within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (67)

1. Evaporative device, containing: current source circuit; power input; And load switching circuits connecting the current source circuit and the power supply input with an output configured to be connected to the evaporator heating element, wherein the current source circuit, power supply input, and load switching circuits form part of an integrated circuit. 2. The evaporation device according to claim 1, further comprising protection circuits configured to compare the operating parameter of the evaporation device with a predetermined condition and, in response to determining that the operating parameter satisfies this condition, output a warning signal, while the protection circuits form part of said integrated circuit. 3. Evaporator according to claim 2, wherein said operating parameter includes voltage, current, temperature, current limit, and short circuit. 4. The evaporator according to claim 2, wherein said predetermined condition includes a predetermined threshold value, the evaporator further including at least one register storing the predetermined threshold value. 5. The evaporation device according to claim 4, wherein the protection circuits include a comparator circuit configured to compare the operating parameter of the evaporation device and said predetermined threshold value, the comparator circuit configured to output a signal indicative of this comparison. 6. The evaporator device of claim 2, wherein the protection circuits are configured to detect heater timeout, temperature of subsystems in the evaporator device, overvoltage protection (OVP), overcurrent protection (OCP), undervoltage lockout (UVLO), short short circuit, current over limit, multilevel throttling, voltage dip and/or heater stop inhibit signal. 7. The evaporative device of claim 2, wherein the protection circuitry includes a watchdog circuit and/or a redundant clock source. 8. The evaporation device according to claim 2, further comprising: control logic connected to the protection circuits and configured to receive an alert signal and, in response to receiving the warning signal, cause a modification of the operation of the vaporization device, including disconnecting at least one circuit in the evaporative device from a power source, modifying the clock speed of this at least one circuit and/or modifying the power bus voltage of this at least one circuit. 9. The evaporation device according to claim 1, further comprising: a current monitor connected to the first output and configured to be connected to the evaporator heating element, wherein the current monitor is configured to measure current at the first output; a voltage monitor connected to a second output configured to be connected to the evaporator heating element, wherein the voltage monitor is configured to measure voltage at the ends of the evaporator heating element; And control logic connected to the current monitor and the voltage monitor, wherein the control logic is configured to receive data indicative of the measured current at the first output, the measured voltage at the ends of the evaporator heating element, and adjust the operation of the load switching circuit to regulate the temperature of the evaporator heating element, and this adjustment is based on the received data. 10. The evaporative device of claim 1, further comprising an integrated boost converter configured to provide direction to the load switching circuits. 11. The evaporation device according to claim 1, further comprising: power control circuitry including at least one low voltage drop regulator, a DC rectifier, and a buck converter; analog-to-digital converter; light emitting diode driver; input-output schemes. 12. The evaporation device according to claim 11, further comprising: the evaporator main body including the evaporator chamber and the mouthpiece; a power source connected to the power control circuitry; a controller connected to the circuits of the power control unit; antenna; memory; ambient pressure sensor; And accelerometer. 13. Evaporative device according to claim 1, further comprising circuits configured to change the duty cycle of the output signal based on the retraction profile and/or steam profile, while the retraction profile characterizes the duty cycle and the retraction force, the vapor profile characterizes the duty cycle and the formation pair. 14. The evaporation apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a multiplexer including at least one switch, the multiplexer being configured to switch input between load switching circuits and a voltage monitor. 15. The evaporation apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a multiplexer including a first input connected to the load switching circuits, a second input connected to a voltage monitor, a third input connected to a voltage monitor, a fourth input connected to a reference node, and four outputs, at least one of these four outputs being connected to said output. 16. A method for operating an evaporative device, comprising a current source circuit, a power supply input, and load switching circuits, the method comprising the steps of: switching the load switching circuits connecting the current source circuit and the power supply input with an output configured to be connected to the evaporator heating element between the current source circuit and the power supply input; wherein the current source circuit, power supply input, and load switching circuits form part of an integrated circuit. 17. The method of claim 16, further comprising the steps of: compare, by means of protection circuits, the operating parameter of the evaporative device with a predetermined condition, and outputting a warning signal in response to determining that the operating parameter satisfies the given condition, wherein the protection circuits form part of said integrated circuit. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein said operating parameter includes voltage, current, temperature, current limit, and short circuit. 19. The method of claim 17, wherein said predetermined condition includes a predetermined threshold value, wherein the vaporizer further includes at least one register storing the predetermined threshold value. 20. The method of claim 18, wherein the protection circuits include a comparator circuit configured to compare an operating parameter of the vaporizer and said predetermined threshold value, the comparator circuit configured to output a signal indicative of this comparison. 21. The method of claim 17 wherein the protection circuits are configured to detect heater timeout, evaporator subsystem temperature, overvoltage protection (OVP), overcurrent protection (OCP), undervoltage lockout (UVLO), short circuits. , current over limit, multilevel throttling, voltage dip, and/or heater stop inhibit signal. 22. The method of claim 17, wherein the protection circuits include a watchdog circuit and/or a redundant clock source. 23. The method of claim 17, wherein the integrated circuit further comprises control logic coupled to the protection circuits and configured to receive the warning signal and, in response to receiving the warning signal, cause the operation of the vaporizer to be modified, including disconnecting at least one circuit in the evaporative device from a power source, modifying the clock rate of the at least one circuit, and/or modifying the power bus voltage of the at least one circuit. 24. The method of claim 16, wherein the integrated circuit further comprises: a current monitor connected to the first output and configured to be connected to the evaporator heating element, wherein the current monitor is configured to measure current at the first output; a voltage monitor connected to a second output configured to be connected to the evaporator heating element, wherein the voltage monitor is configured to measure voltage at the ends of the evaporator heating element; And control logic connected to the current monitor and the voltage monitor, wherein the control logic is configured to receive data indicative of the measured current at the first output, the measured voltage at the ends of the evaporator heating element, and adjust the operation of the load switching circuits to regulate the temperature of the evaporator heating element, and this adjustment is based on the received data. 25. The method of claim 16, wherein the integrated circuit further comprises an integrated boost converter configured to provide a source for the load switching circuits. 26. The method of claim 16, wherein the integrated circuit further comprises: power control circuitry including at least one low voltage drop regulator, a DC rectifier, and a buck converter; analog-to-digital converter; light emitting diode driver; input-output schemes. 27. The method according to item 26, in which the evaporation device further comprises the main part of the evaporation device, including the evaporation chamber and the mouthpiece; And the integrated circuit additionally contains: a power source connected to the power control circuitry; a controller connected to the circuits of the power control unit; antenna; memory; ambient pressure sensor; And accelerometer. 28. The method of claim 16, further comprising changing the duty cycle of the output signal based on the draw profile and/or steam profile, wherein the draw profile characterizes the duty cycle and the draw force, wherein the vapor profile characterizes the duty cycle and steam generation . 29. The method of claim 16, wherein the integrated circuit further comprises a multiplexer including at least one switch, the multiplexer being configured to switch input between the load switching circuits and the voltage monitor. 30. The method of claim 16, wherein the integrated circuit further comprises a multiplexer including a first input connected to the load switching circuits, a second input connected to a voltage monitor, a third input connected to a voltage monitor, a fourth input connected to a reference node, and four outputs, and at least one of these four outputs is connected to the said output.

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