Dry atomizer

Abstract

Various embodiments of the present technology may provide methods and apparatus for controlling a nebulizer. Methods and apparatus for controlling a nebulizer may be integrated within an electronic device. An embodiment of a system may include a control circuit responsive to an input signal from a sensor. The control circuit may be configured to determine a temperature event based on the input signal and a criterion. The control circuit may be further configured to generate an output signal in accordance with the temperature event.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the patent application with application number 2022107793051, application date July 1, 2022, and invention name “Dry Atomizer”.

[0002] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0003] This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 63 / 051,507, filed on July 14, 2020, and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Background Art

[0004] Vaporizer devices present an alternative to smoking and work by vaporizing a consumable product, such as oil concentrate or flower, by heating the consumable product at a lower temperature than an open flame, allowing the user to inhale the consumable product in vapor form rather than smoke.

[0005] Conventional vaporizer devices typically have a chamber for holding consumables and a small heating coil in contact with the chamber. An electric current is typically passed through the coil, thereby heating the consumables. However, the chamber of conventional vaporizer devices is prone to overheating. Specifically, the heating coil typically continues to heat the chamber even after the consumables have been vaporized. Consequently, any residue left in the chamber after vaporization is susceptible to combustion, increasing the presence of potentially harmful irritants in the smoke.

[0006] Therefore, there is a need for a method and apparatus to monitor the temperature of the chamber and shut off the heating coil when the chamber is empty, thereby preventing the atomizer from overheating. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Various embodiments of the present technology can provide methods and apparatus for controlling a nebulizer. These methods and apparatus can be integrated into an electronic device. Embodiments of the system may include control circuitry responsive to input signals from a sensor. The control circuitry can be configured to determine a temperature event based on the input signal and a criterion. The control circuitry can further be configured to generate an output signal based on the temperature event. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] A more complete understanding of the present technology may be obtained by referring to the detailed description and claims when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.In the following drawings, like reference numerals refer to like elements and steps throughout the drawings.

[0009] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a gasifier system according to an embodiment of the present technology;

[0010] Figure 2 Representatively illustrating an atomizer according to an embodiment of the present technology;

[0011] Figure 3 is a simplified circuit diagram of a control circuit according to an embodiment of the present technology;

[0012] Figure 4 is a simplified circuit diagram of a control circuit according to an embodiment of the present technology;

[0013] Figure 5 is a simplified circuit diagram of a control circuit according to an embodiment of the present technology; and

[0014] Figure 6 is a flow chart for operating a control circuit according to an embodiment of the present technology. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] The present technology can be described in terms of functional block components. Such functional blocks can be implemented using any number of components configured to perform designated functions and achieve various results. For example, the present technology can employ a variety of atomizers, amplifiers, batteries, chambers, circuitry, coils, heating elements, inlets, logic components, outlets, processors, sensors, signals, thermistors, wires, etc., which can perform various functions. Furthermore, the present technology can be practiced in conjunction with any of a variety of vaporizer systems, and the control circuit described herein is merely one exemplary application of the present technology.

[0016] refer to Figures 1 to 6 In various embodiments, the vaporizer system 100 may include an atomizer 105 adapted to be inserted into a housing 111 of a vaporizer device 110. The atomizer 105 may include a chamber 115 disposed within the atomizer 105, wherein the chamber 115 may be configured to contain a vaporizable material, such as a consumable. The chamber 115 may be constructed of various suitable materials, such as ceramic, porous ceramic, cellulose, and the like. The consumables may include, but are not limited to, oil concentrates, tobacco flowers, and the like. The atomizer 105 may further include a sensor 106 coupled to the chamber 115 and a heating element 120 disposed within the atomizer 105, wherein the heating element 120 may be in contact with the chamber 115 and may heat the vaporizable material to a temperature sufficient to vaporize the vaporizable material. The gasifier system 100 may further include a base portion 112 connected to the housing 111 via wires 119 , wherein the base portion 112 may include a control circuit 135 capable of controlling the heating element 120 and a battery 140 for supplying power to the gasifier system 100 .

[0017] In the embodiments, and now with reference to Figure 3 and Figure 4, the control circuit 135 can be configured to perform various functions, such as amplification, signal conversion, signal analysis, etc. For example, the control circuit 135 may include a first circuit 145 and a second circuit 150. The first circuit 145 may include a first input terminal 146, a second input terminal 147, and an output terminal 148. The first input terminal 146 may be an inverting terminal (-) and may be connected to the sensor 106 to receive an input signal from the sensor 106. For example, the sensor 106 may generate an input signal based on the temperature of the atomizer 105. In one embodiment, the sensor 106 may include a metal wire with a low resistivity. The wire may be made of any suitable metal material, such as copper, iron, stainless steel, or any other combination of metal materials. The second input terminal 147 may be a non-inverting terminal (+) and may be connected to a reference voltage VCC, such as a voltage supplied by a voltage source (not shown).

[0018] A wire can be coupled to chamber 115 to monitor the temperature inside chamber 115. Specifically, as the temperature of chamber 115 increases, the temperature of the wire can also increase. Since the resistance of the wire can depend on the collision process within the wire, the resistance of the wire can increase as its temperature increases. According to various embodiments, first circuit 145 can be configured to measure the resistance and / or detect changes in the resistance of the wire and convert the resistance into a voltage.

[0019] It should be understood that the sensor 106 can be modified without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, instead of using a wire to connect the first input terminal 146 of the first circuit 145 to the chamber 115, a thermistor, such as the tenth resistor R10, can be used to connect the first input terminal 146 of the first circuit 145 to the chamber 115. The thermistor can be used to monitor the temperature inside the chamber 115. Specifically, the thermistor can be coupled to the chamber 115 so that as the temperature of the chamber 115 increases, the temperature of the thermistor can also increase. The thermistor can include any suitable thermistor, such as an NTC thermistor, a PTC thermistor, etc. Unlike a wire such as described above, the resistance of the thermistor can decrease as its temperature increases. Therefore, the first circuit 145 can measure the resistance and / or detect the change in the resistance of the thermistor and convert the resistance into a voltage.

[0020] According to various embodiments, the control circuit 135 may be constructed from any suitable electronic devices, such as conductors, capacitors, inductors, resistors, semiconductors, switches, transistors, operational amplifiers, potentiometers, logic gates, etc. For example, in one embodiment, the control circuit 135 may include a first resistor R1, a second resistor R2, a third resistor R3, a fourth resistor R4, a fifth resistor R5, and a sixth resistor R6, such as Figure 3As shown. The control circuit 135 may also include a first diode D1, a first switch SW1 which may be an NPN transistor, a first capacitor C1, and a second capacitor C2. In this regard, the fourth resistor R4 may be a wire. Therefore, the sensor 106 may include the fourth resistor R4. In an alternative embodiment, the control circuit 135 may include a seventh resistor R7, an eighth resistor R8, a ninth resistor R9, a tenth resistor R10, an eleventh resistor R11, a twelfth resistor R12, and a thirteenth resistor R13, such as Figure 4 The control circuit 135 may further include a second switch SW2 which may be an NPN transistor. In this regard, the tenth resistor R10 may be a thermistor, and the sensor 106 may include the tenth resistor R10.

[0021] like Figure 4 As shown, output terminal 148 can be connected to second input terminal 147 via a feedback loop including an eleventh resistor R11. When the temperature inside chamber 115 is less than or equal to a predetermined value, control circuit 135 can utilize the feedback loop to re-enable heating element 120. The predetermined value can be any suitable value. As an example, if control circuit 135 is configured to disable heating element 120 if the temperature inside chamber 115 is greater than or equal to 572°F, control circuit 135 can also be configured to re-enable heating element 120 if the temperature inside chamber 115 drops to 518°F.

[0022] The first circuit 145 may include any suitable circuit and / or system. For example, the first circuit 145 may include a subcircuit 149. The subcircuit 149 may include an amplifier circuit or any other circuit and / or system suitable for receiving an input signal and amplifying the input signal. The subcircuit 149 may be configured to measure the voltage difference between the inverting terminal (-) and the non-inverting terminal (+) and generate a voltage signal based on the voltage difference. The amplifier 136 may also be configured to amplify the signal by applying a gain to the voltage difference and generate a voltage signal based on the voltage difference and / or the applied gain. The subcircuit 149 may include an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) (not shown) configured to convert a voltage, such as a voltage signal, into a digital value. The ADC (not shown) may include any signal converter suitable for converting an analog signal into a digital signal. In addition, the subcircuit 149 may include a comparator circuit (not shown) configured to compare the digital value with a standard, wherein the standard may include a predetermined threshold value. The first circuit 145 may be programmed with a threshold value, and the threshold value may correspond to a specific digital value. For example, the digital value may correspond to a temperature, such that if the temperature inside the chamber 115 equals or exceeds this temperature, the control circuit 135 may instruct the gasifier system 100 to disable the heating element 120 .

[0023] The first circuit 145 can use a threshold value to determine whether the heating element 120 should be turned off. For example, the first circuit 145 can compare the digital value from the ADC to the threshold value and generate an output signal, such as a logic signal corresponding to the comparison. If the digital value is less than the threshold value, the logic signal can have a first value (e.g., a logic '0' value), and if the digital value is greater than or equal to the threshold value, the logic signal can have a second value (e.g., a logic '1' value). The threshold value can be a predetermined value based on the specific application, the size of the chamber 115, the desired temperature of the chamber 115, etc. The first value can indicate that there is no gasifiable material inside the chamber 115 (i.e., an OFF event, meaning that the control circuit 135 can instruct the gasifier system 100 to disable the heating element 120), and the second value can indicate that there is gasifiable material inside the chamber 115 (i.e., an ON event, meaning that the control circuit 135 can not instruct the gasifier system 100 to disable the heating element 120).

[0024] According to various embodiments, the first circuit 145 can be configured to selectively transmit an output signal, such as a logic signal, to the second circuit 150 for further processing. For example, in one embodiment, the first circuit 145 can transmit only the second value of the logic signal to the second circuit 150. In another embodiment, the first circuit 145 can transmit only the first value of the logic signal to the second circuit 150. In yet another embodiment, the first circuit 145 can transmit both the first value and the second value of the logic signal to the second circuit 150.

[0025] The second circuit 150 can receive the logic signal from the first circuit 145 and can include any number of circuits, logic gates, etc. that operate together to process the logic signal. The second circuit 150 can be configured to enable and disable the heating element 120 based on the logic signal. For example, where the first circuit 145 can be configured to selectively transmit a second value of the logic signal to the second circuit 150, the second circuit 150 can be configured to receive the second value from the first circuit 145 and generate the disable signal 151 based on the second value. For example, and with reference to Figure 2, the heating element 120 may include a pair of wires A, which include two wires A0 and A1. Wire A0 may be connected to a ground node or a reference node, and wire A1 may be connected to the battery 140 at port 141. Port 141 may be configured to receive a disable signal 151 and respond to the disable signal. Specifically, port 141 may be connected to a second circuit 150 for receiving the disable signal 151. Port 141 may be configured to disable itself in response to receiving the disable signal 151. For example, port 141 may include a simple switch (not shown), wherein port 141 may open the switch, thereby opening a circuit between the battery 140 and various components of the vaporizer system (including the heating element 120). Once the switch (not shown) is opened, the battery 140 may not supply current to the heating element 120.

[0026] It should be understood that modifications may be made to the control circuit 135 without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, in yet another embodiment, and referring now to Figure 5 , the control circuit 135 may include a fourteenth resistor R14, a fifteenth resistor R15, a sixteenth resistor R16, a seventeenth resistor R17, and an eighteenth resistor R18. The control circuit 135 may also include a third capacitor C3 and an amplifier 136. The amplifier 136 may include an amplifier circuit or any other circuit and / or system suitable for receiving an input signal and amplifying the input signal. In this regard, the control circuit 135 may be configured to measure the change in resistance and / or detection resistance and convert the resistance into a voltage. Therefore, the amplifier 136 may include an inverting terminal (-) and a non-inverting terminal (+), and may be configured to measure the voltage difference between the inverting terminal and the non-inverting terminal. The amplifier 136 may also be configured to amplify the signal by applying a gain to the voltage difference and generate a voltage signal according to the voltage difference and / or the applied gain. The amplifier 136 may also include an output terminal connected to an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 116. The ADC 116 may be configured to convert a voltage such as a voltage signal into a digital value.

[0027] It should be understood that the first circuit 145 can be formed on a substrate separate from the second circuit 150. In another embodiment, the first circuit 145 can be formed on the same substrate as the second circuit 150. The substrate can be any suitable substrate, such as a printed circuit board (PCB). The second circuit 150 can include any suitable control circuit, such as a pulse width modulation (PWM) control circuit.

[0028] In operation, the vaporizer system 100 can be turned on via the sensor 114 or by pressing a button or switch. For example, if the vaporizer device 110 is "puff activated," the user can turn on the vaporizer device 110 by inhaling air through a mouthpiece (not shown) connected to the outlet 130, drawing air into the vaporizer device 110 through the inlet 125. When the user inhales, a negative pressure can be generated within the vaporizer device 110. The negative pressure generated within the vaporizer device 110 can cause the sensor 114 to close a pressure switch (not shown), thereby closing the circuit between the battery 140 and the various components of the vaporizer system 100. Once the pressure switch (not shown) is closed, the battery 140 can supply power to the various components of the vaporizer system 100, including the heating element 120. Once the heating element 120 is activated, the battery 140 can supply current to the activated heating element 120, wherein the current can flow through the coil 121 of the activated heating element 120. Because coil 121 can be a resistive element, it can dissipate heat when current flows through it. Furthermore, because heating element 120 can be in contact with chamber 115, the resulting heat can be transferred to chamber 115. Thus, heating element 120 can vaporize a portion of the vaporizable material by heating chamber 115 to a temperature sufficient to generate vapor. For example, oil concentrate contained in chamber 115 can be heated to a temperature of approximately 215°F to 480°F to generate atomized vapor therefrom.

[0029] During this time, the control circuit 135 can monitor the temperature inside the chamber 115 via the sensor 106 and can therefore control the atomizer 105 based on the sensor 106. Specifically, and with reference to Figures 1 to 6, controlling the atomizer 105 (600) according to the sensor 106 may include receiving an analog input signal (605) from the sensor 106, wherein the analog input signal may be a resistance signal. Controlling the atomizer 105 according to the sensor 106 may also include converting the resistance signal into a voltage signal (610). In addition, controlling the atomizer 105 may include converting the voltage signal into a corresponding digital value (615). Controlling the atomizer 105 may further include determining a temperature event, such as an ON event and / or an OFF event (620), according to the digital value and a criterion. As described above, the criterion may be a predetermined threshold, for example, a voltage value corresponding to a specific temperature, such as a maximum expected temperature of the chamber 115. Specifically, the first circuit 145 may compare the digital value with the threshold. Controlling the atomizer 105 may further include generating an output signal (625), such as a logic signal, according to the temperature event. For example, if the digital value is greater than or equal to the threshold, the logic signal may include a second value. In this case, the logic signal may be an OFF signal corresponding to the temperature event. At this point, the first circuit 145 can transmit the logic signal to the second circuit 150, where the second circuit 150 can generate a disable signal 151 based on the second value of the logic signal. The second circuit 150 can then transmit the disable signal 151 to the port 141. In response to receiving the disable signal 151, the port 141, which can include a simple switch (not shown), can open the switch, thereby opening the circuit between the battery 140 and various components of the vaporizer system, including the heating element 120. Therefore, once the switch (not shown) is opened, the battery 140 can stop supplying current to the heating element 120.

[0030] In the foregoing description, the technology has been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the technology as set forth in the claims. The description and drawings are illustrative and not restrictive, and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the technology. Therefore, the scope of the technology should be determined by the claims and their legal equivalents, rather than solely by the examples described. For example, the components and / or elements listed in any device claim may be assembled or otherwise operationally configured in various arrangements and are therefore not limited to the specific configurations listed in the claims. The beneficial effects, other advantages, and problem solutions have been described above with respect to specific embodiments. However, any beneficial effect, advantage, problem solution, or any element that may cause any particular beneficial effect, advantage, or solution to occur or become more apparent should not be construed as a key, required, or essential feature or component of any or all of the claims.

[0031] As used herein, the terms "comprise / comprises / comprising," "having," "including / includes," or any variations thereof, are intended to refer to a non-exclusive inclusion such that a process, method, article, composition, or apparatus that includes a list of elements includes not only those elements that are enumerated but may also include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, composition, or apparatus. Other combinations and / or modifications of the above-described structures, arrangements, applications, proportions, elements, materials, or components used in the practice of the invention, in addition to those not specifically enumerated, may also be varied or otherwise specially adapted to a particular environment, manufacturing specifications, design parameters, or other operating requirements without departing from the general principles thereof.

Claims

1. A control circuit adapted to communicate with a temperature sensor and capable of controlling a heating element of an atomizer, the atomizer having a chamber disposed within the atomizer, wherein the chamber is configured to contain a vaporizable material, the control circuit comprising: A first circuit, the first circuit comprising: an input terminal configured to receive an input signal from the temperature sensor; and Output terminals; Wherein, the first circuit is configured to: Converting the input signal into a voltage signal; converting the voltage signal into a digital value; and determining a temperature event within the atomizer based on the digital value and the criteria; and generating an output signal based on the temperature event within the atomizer; and A second circuit is connected to the output terminal and configured to receive the output signal, wherein the temperature sensor and the heating element are disposed within the atomizer, and wherein the temperature sensor is coupled to the chamber.

2. The control circuit according to claim 1, wherein: The criteria include a predetermined threshold value.

3. The control circuit according to claim 2, wherein: The first circuit is configured to compare the digital value to the threshold value.

4. The control circuit according to claim 3, wherein: The first circuit is configured to generate the output signal if the digital value is greater than or equal to the threshold value.

5. The control circuit according to claim 4, wherein: The output signal is an OFF signal corresponding to the temperature event within the atomizer.

6. The control circuit according to claim 5, wherein: The second circuit is further configured to disable the heating element disposed within the atomizer in response to receiving the OFF signal.

7. The control circuit according to claim 1, wherein: The output terminal is connected to the input terminal via a feedback loop, wherein The feedback loop includes a resistor; and The control circuit is further configured to activate the heating element disposed within the atomizer via the feedback loop. The control circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the temperature sensor is a metal wire.

9. A system comprising: a temperature sensor configured to generate an input signal; An atomizer, comprising: a chamber configured to contain a gasifiable material; and a heating element configured to apply heat to the chamber, wherein the temperature sensor is disposed within the atomizer and coupled to the chamber; and a control circuit in communication with the temperature sensor and capable of controlling the heating element, the control circuit comprising: A first circuit, the first circuit comprising: an input terminal configured to receive the input signal; and Output terminals; Wherein, the first circuit is configured to: Converting the input signal into a voltage signal; converting the voltage signal into a digital value; determining a temperature event within the atomizer based on the digital value and the criteria; and generating an output signal based on the temperature event within the atomizer; and A second circuit is connected to the output terminal and is configured to receive the output signal.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein: The temperature sensor includes at least one of a wire or a thermistor.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein: The criteria include a predetermined threshold value.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein The first circuit is configured to compare the digital value to the threshold value.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein: The first circuit is configured to generate the output signal if the digital value is greater than or equal to the threshold value.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein: The output signal is an OFF signal corresponding to the temperature event within the atomizer.

15. The system according to claim 14, wherein: The second circuit is further configured to disable the heating element of the atomizer in response to receiving the OFF signal.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein: The output terminal is connected to the input terminal via a feedback loop, wherein the feedback loop includes a resistor; and The control circuit is further configured to activate the heating element of the atomizer via the feedback loop.

17. The system according to claim 9, wherein: The gasifiable material is flowers.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein: The flower is a tobacco flower.

19. The system according to claim 9, wherein: The temperature sensor is a metal wire.

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