Vaporization device with lip sensing

• US 10,405,582 B2
• Filed: 03/10/2017
• Issued: 09/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PAX Labs, Inc.
• Original Assignee: PAX Labs, Inc.
• Inventors: Hatton, Nicholas J., Monsees, James, Bowen, Adam
• Primary Examiner(s): Gushi, Ross N
• Application Number:
  US15/456,297
• Publication Number:
  US 20170258142A1
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/10 Devices using liquid inhalable precursors
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/50 Control or monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: A24F 40/51 Arrangement of sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/13 with means for the detection of operative contact with patient, e.g. lip sensor
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 1/0244 Heating of fluids H05B1/0247 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 2203/021 Heaters specially adapted for heating liquids

Abstract

Apparatuses, including systems and devices (“vaporizers”), for vaporizing material to form an inhalable aerosol that include capacitive lips sensing to regulate the temperature of the vaporizer, including transiently boosting the temperature. Methods of operating a vaporizer having a capacitive lip sensor are also described.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a reservoir configured to hold a vaporizable material;

a heater configured to heat the vaporizable material;

a mouthpiece in communication with the reservoir;

a capacitive sensor configured to output capacitance readings, wherein the capacitive sensor comprises a flexible circuit onto which a conductive region is layered; and

a controller configured to perform operations comprising;

regulating a temperature of the heater to a preselected temperature;

obtaining the capacitance readings from the capacitive sensor;

determining a baseline capacitance based on more than one of the capacitance readings;

determining a value based on a difference between a first capacitance reading of the capacitance readings and the baseline capacitance; and

increasing the temperature of the heater based on the value being at or above a threshold.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the capacitive sensor is adjacent the mouthpiece.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the capacitive sensor comprises a conductor positioned adjacent the mouthpiece.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the heater is adjacent the reservoir.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to perform operations comprising:

determining the baseline capacitance based on filtering the capacitance readings.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to perform operations comprising:

determining the baseline capacitance based on a running average of the capacitance readings.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to perform operations comprising:

holding the baseline capacitance at a first baseline value while the capacitance readings are above the baseline capacitance by a first offset value or below the baseline capacitance by a second offset value.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the holding the baseline capacitance comprises preventing the baseline capacitance from changing.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first offset value and the second offset value are each based on a percentage of the first baseline value.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the determining the value comprises calculating a percent difference between the first capacitance reading and the baseline capacitance.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the threshold comprises an indication of a 0.5% change between the first capacitance reading and the baseline capacitance.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the threshold comprises an indication of a 1% change between the first capacitance reading and the baseline capacitance.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the increasing the temperature of the heater comprises increasing power applied to the heater for a time period that is between 2 seconds and 5 seconds.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the increasing the temperature of the heater comprises increasing a duty cycle of power applied to the heater for a time period.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vaporizable material includes one or more of a loose-leaf material, a liquid material, a gel material, and a semi-solid material.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vaporizable material includes one or more of a tobacco solution and a cannabis solution.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the mouthpiece is in fluid communication with the reservoir.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the difference is at or above the threshold when a lip of a user contacts the mouthpiece.

19. An apparatus comprising:

a reservoir configured to hold a vaporizable material;

a heater configured to heat the vaporizable material;

a mouthpiece in communication with the reservoir;

a capacitive sensor configured to output capacitance readings, wherein the capacitive sensor comprises a flexible circuit onto which a conductive region is layered; and

a controller configured to perform operations comprising;

regulating a temperature of the heater to a first temperature;

obtaining the capacitance readings from the capacitive sensor;

determining a baseline capacitance based on more than one of the capacitance readings;

determining a value based on a difference between a first capacitance reading of the capacitance readings and the baseline capacitance; and

reducing the temperature of the heater to a second temperature that is lower than the first temperature when the value is at or below a threshold for a first predetermined period of time.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the capacitive sensor is adjacent the mouthpiece.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the capacitive sensor comprises a conductor positioned adjacent the mouthpiece.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the heater is adjacent the reservoir.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the controller is further configured to perform operations comprising:

determining the baseline capacitance based on filtering the capacitance readings.

24. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the controller is further configured to perform operations comprising:

determining the baseline capacitance based on a running average of the capacitance readings.

25. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the controller is further configured to perform operations comprising:

holding the baseline capacitance at a first baseline value while the capacitance readings are above the baseline capacitance by a first offset value or below the baseline capacitance by a second offset value.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the holding the baseline capacitance comprises preventing the baseline capacitance from changing.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the first offset value and the second offset value are each based on a percentage of the first baseline value.

28. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the determining the value comprises calculating a percent difference between the first capacitance reading and the baseline capacitance.

29. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the first predetermined period of time is twenty seconds.

30. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the vaporizable material includes one or more of a loose-leaf material, a liquid material, a gel material, and a semi-solid material.

31. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the vaporizable material includes one or more of a tobacco solution and a cannabis solution.

32. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the mouthpiece is in fluid communication with the reservoir.

33. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the difference is at or below the threshold when there is no user contact with the mouthpiece.

34. An apparatus comprising:

a reservoir configured to hold a vaporizable material;

a heater configured to heat the vaporizable material;

a mouthpiece in communication with the reservoir;

a capacitive sensor configured to output capacitance readings; and

a controller configured to perform operations comprising;

regulating a temperature of the heater to a first temperature;

obtaining the capacitance readings from the capacitive sensor;

determining a baseline capacitance based on more than one of the capacitance readings;

determining a value based on a difference between a first capacitance reading of the capacitance readings and the baseline capacitance;

reducing the temperature of the heater to a second temperature that is lower than the first temperature when the value is at or below a threshold for a first predetermined period of time; and

reducing, when the value remains below the threshold for a second predetermined period of time, the temperature of the heater to a third temperature that is lower than the first temperature and lower than the second temperature.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the controller is further configured to perform operations comprising:

powering off the heater when the value remains below the threshold for a third predetermined period of time.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the third predetermined period of time is between 2 minutes and 5 minutes.