VAPORIZERS HAVING MULTIPLE HEATING ELEMENTS

Description

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This disclosure relates generally to vaporizers and, more particularly, to vaporizers having multiple heating elements.

BACKGROUND

In recent years, vaporizers, also known as electronic cigarettes, e-cigarettes, or vapes, have gained tremendous popularity in the smoking community. Vaporizers are electronic devices that atomize or vaporize a substance so that it can be inhaled, similar to smoking. The substance is typically a liquid, such as an oil, but can also be a dry substance. The oils often include flavored chemicals, nicotine, cannabis, and/or other compounds or extracts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional schematic view of an example vaporizer with two example heating coils in an example reservoir. FIG. 1 shows the example reservoir with a first level of oil.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional schematic view of the example vaporizer of FIG. 1 with a second (lower) level of oil.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional schematic view of an example vaporizer having three example heating coils in an example reservoir.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional schematic view of an example vaporizer having a removable cartridge with two example heating elements.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart representative of example machine readable instructions and/or example operations that may be executed, instantiated, and/or performed by example programmable circuitry to implement an example controller of the example vaporizer of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an example processing platform including programmable circuitry structured to execute, instantiate, and/or perform the example machine readable instructions and/or perform the example operations of FIG. 5 to implement the controller of FIG. 1.

In general, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawing(s) and accompanying written description to refer to the same or like parts. The figures are not necessarily to scale. Instead, the thickness of the layers or regions may be enlarged in the drawings. Although the figures show layers and regions with clean lines and boundaries, some or all of these lines and/or boundaries may be idealized. In reality, the boundaries and/or lines may be unobservable, blended, and/or irregular.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Vaporizers, also commonly referred to as vapes, vape pens, oral vaporizers, and electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes), are electronic devices that can be used to inhale a substance, similar to smoking. The substance is typically a liquid, such as an oil, but can also be a dry substance (e.g., dry herb). A vaporizer typically includes a button, battery, a reservoir with a liquid, such as an oil, and a heating element in the reservoir. The heating element is disposed in a center post or internal passageway in the reservoir. The oil in the reservoir contacts the heating element. When a user presses a button on the vaporizer, the battery supplies power to activate the heating element. The heating element increases in temperature, atomizes or vaporizes the oil into a vapor (e.g., a puff) that can be inhaled. Some heating elements are constructed of a wicking material, such as fiber or ceramic material, and a wire coil. The wicking material absorbs a certain amount of the oil, and the wire coil heats up the wicking material to vaporize the oil and create a puff of vapor that can be inhaled. The vaporizer can be used multiple times until the oil is consumed, at which point the reservoir can be re-filled with oil or the reservoir can be replaced.

After a period of time and/or a number of activations (heating sessions), the heating element may become dirty or clogged, commonly referred to as being gunked up. A dirty or clogged heating element negatively affects the taste or flavor of the vaporized oil. Therefore, users typically prefer newer or fresher heating elements as compared to older heating elements. Further, after a period of time and/or number of activations, the heating element starts to dissipate or burn out (i.e., stop working), which causes loss of performance and/or otherwise renders the vaporizer inoperable. Therefore, the amount of oil in a vaporizer is typically limited by the number of activations of the heating element before the heating element typically becomes gunked up and/or burns out. For example, most disposable vaporizer cartridges hold either 0.5 milliliter (mL) or 1 mL of oil.

Disclosed herein are examples vaporizers that have a reservoir with multiple heating elements that are independently activatable or operable. As used herein, independently activatable or operable means that each of the heating elements can be activated on its own without activating another one of the heating elements. This enables one of the heating elements to be used for a certain period of time (e.g., a certain number of activations) or a certain portion (i.e., volume) of the oil, and then switches to use the other heating element for a period of time and/or the remaining amount of the oil. As such, a newer or fresher heating element is available as the oil is consumed. The availability of newer or fresher heating elements enables an increased oil volume because an additional heating element is available when the first heating element is or is close to being gunked up and/or burned out.

An example vaporizer disclosed herein includes a reservoir with a casing that defines a cavity for holding a liquid, such as for example an oil. The reservoir includes a center post that defines internal passageway for air and/or vaporizer oil to pass to the user for inhaling. The center post is disposed in a center of the cavity, such that liquid is disposed around and in contact with the outside of the center post. The example vaporizer includes two heating elements in the center post of the reservoir. As such, the two heating elements are in the same reservoir and capable of vaporizing the same liquid. In some examples, the two heating elements are stacked or arranged axially (e.g., vertically) in the reservoir. The center post has upper openings aligned with the upper heating element and lower openings aligned with the lower heating element. The oil in the reservoir can pass through the openings and contact the upper and lower heating elements. When the oil level is relatively high, only the upper heating element is activated when the button is pressed. Therefore, the first heating element is used to vaporize a first volume or portion of the oil in the reservoir. After a number of uses, the oil level decreases. When the oil level drops below a certain threshold, such as at or below the upper openings, only the lower heating element is activated when the button is pressed. Therefore, the second heating element is used to vaporize a second volume or portion of the oil in the reservoir. In other words, the upper heating element is activated while a first portion of the oil is used, and the lower heating element is activated while a second portion of the oil is used. Therefore, the vaporizer uses the upper heating element for a first period of time or number of activations, and then uses the lower heating element for a second period of time or number of activations. Thus, before or at about the time the upper heating element may become dirty or clogged, the vaporizer switches to the lower heating element. As such, a newer or relatively fresh heating element is available throughout the entirety of the oil consumption. This reduces or prevents either of the heating elements from being over-used and negatively affecting the flavor and/or burning out.

This example design also enables the reservoir to hold more oil because a second heating element is available that can be used after the first heating element has been used. The example vaporizers disclosed herein can include any number of heating elements, such as three, four, etc. Further, the example multi-heating element design can be implemented in connection with different types of vaporizers, such as disposable vaporizers, vaporizers with re-fillable reservoirs, and/or vaporizers with replaceable cartridges.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional schematic view of an example vaporizer 100 constructed in accordance with the teachings of this disclosure. The vaporizer 100 is an electronic device that atomizes or vaporizes a substance so that the substance can be inhaled, similar to smoking. The substance can be for example, a liquid such as oil, a dry substance, and/or a combination of liquid and dry substances. The oil can include flavored chemicals, nicotine, cannabis, and/or other compounds or extracts.

The vaporizer 100 has a body 102 that defines a longitudinal or central axis 104. In this example, the body 102 is cylindrical shaped. In other examples, the body 102 can be shaped differently (e.g., have one or more flat sides, a cuboid, a rectangular prism, a polyhedron, etc.). The body 102 may have one or more portions or sections, disclosed in further detail herein. In some examples, one or more portions of the body 102 are detachable. For example, some vaporizers have replaceable cartridges or reservoirs, an example of which is disclosed in further detail herein. The body 102 can be constructed of different materials, such as for example, plastic and/or metal. The body 102 has a top end 106 and a bottom end 108 opposite the top end 106. In some examples, a mouthpiece 110 (e.g., a plastic mouthpiece) is coupled to the top end 106. To use the vaporizer 100, a user can put their mouth on the mouthpiece 110 and inhale. In some examples, the mouthpiece 110 is removable from the body 102. In other examples, the vaporizer 100 may not include a separate mouthpiece. Instead, a user may place their mouth directly around the upper portion of the body 102 at the top end 106. As used herein, any orientation terms (e.g., top, bottom, above, below, etc.) are for discussion purposes with respect to the orientation shown in the example figures. Vaporizers are typically used in a vertical orientation, as shown in FIG. 1, or slightly angled orientation, such that gravity naturally pulls the liquid in the reservoir toward the bottom end 108. However, in other examples, a vaporizer can be operated horizontally and/or at any other orientation.

In the illustrated example, the vaporizer 100 includes a reservoir 112 (sometimes referred to as a tank) that is used to contain an amount of liquid or dry substance to be vaporized. In this example, the reservoir 112 is formed or defined by a portion 114 of the body 102 referred to herein as a reservoir casing 114. The reservoir casing 114 of the reservoir 112 defines an internal chamber or cavity 116 for containing the liquid and/or dry substance. In this example, the vaporizer 100 contains oil 118 in the cavity 116 of the reservoir 112. However, in other examples, the vaporizer 100 can include other types of liquids and/or dry substances (e.g., dry herb). In some examples, the reservoir casing 114 is at least partially transparent or translucent, such as clear plastic or glass, to enable a user to view how much oil 118 is left in the reservoir 112. In other examples, the reservoir casing 114 is entirely opaque.

In the illustrated example, the reservoir 112 includes a center post 120 (which can also be referred to as an atomizer tube) that is disposed in and extends, at least partially, through the center of the cavity 116. For example the center post 120 is axially aligned along the center axis 104. The oil 118 surrounds the center post 120. The center post 120 defines an internal passageway 122 (also referred to as a central air passageway) for air and/or vapor to travel up to the mouthpiece 110 and/or otherwise to the top end 106 of the body 102 to be inhaled by the user. The center post 120 has an outlet 123 at the top end 106, which is aligned with a center passageway of the mouthpiece 110. The center post 120 may be constructed of multiple parts or sections that are coupled together or may be constructed as a single unitary part. In some examples, the center post 120 is constructed of metal (e.g., aluminum, steel, etc.).

In the illustrated example, the vaporizer 100 has one or more air inlet openings 124, sometimes referred to as primary air holes. The air inlet openings 124 connect to the internal passageway 122. Therefore, when a user places their mouth on the vaporizer 100 and inhales, outside air is drawn through the air inlet openings 124 and up through the internal passageway 122 to the outlet 123 and the mouthpiece 110, as shown by the dash-dot arrows. In the illustrated example, the air inlet openings 124 are formed on a side of the body 102 below the reservoir 112. However, in other examples, the air inlet openings 124 can be provided in other locations. In some examples, an air inlet opening can be on the bottom end 108 of the body 102 and extends through a base portion 144 of the body 102 to the internal passageway 122.

In the illustrated example, the vaporizer 100 includes multiple heating elements. In this example, the vaporizer 100 includes two heating elements: a first heating element 128 and a second heating element 130. The heating elements 128, 130 are sometimes referred to as heaters, coils, or atomizers. In the illustrated example, the first and second heating elements 128, 130 are disposed in the cavity 116 of the reservoir 112. In particular, in this example, the first and second heating elements 128, 130 are disposed in the center post 120. The first and second heating elements 128, 130 are independently activatable or operable. When one or both of the heating elements 128, 130 are activated, the heating elements 128, 130 vaporize the oil 118 into a vapor that passes into the internal passageway 122 and can be inhaled by a user.

In the illustrated example, the first and second heating elements 128, 130 are implemented as ceramic heating elements. A ceramic heating element includes a ceramic cylinder with an embedded or integrated wire coil. For example, the first heating element 128 includes a first ceramic cylinder 132 and a first wire coil 134 that is embedded in the first ceramic cylinder 132. In other examples, the wire coil 134 can be disposed along the inside of the first ceramic cylinder 132 or another location. The first wire coil 134 may be a low gauge, high resistance wire. When electrical power (e.g., current) is applied to the first wire coil 134, the first wire coil 134 generates heat (e.g., via resistance), which heats up the first ceramic cylinder 132 and thereby vaporizes the oil 118 in the first ceramic cylinder 132. The second heating element 130 similarly includes a second ceramic cylinder 136 and a second wire coil 138 and operates in the same manner. In other examples, the cylindrical cores of the first and second heating elements 128, 130 can be constructed of other types of materials or combination of materials, such as fiber, metal, diamond, and/or glass. Further, in other examples, the first and second heating elements 128, 130 can be implemented or configured as other types of heating elements.

In the illustrated example, the first and second heating elements 128, 130 are stacked or arranged axially (e.g., vertically) in the reservoir 112 and, in particular, in the center post 120. In the illustrated example, the first heating element 128 is disposed above the second heating element 130 in the orientation depicted in FIG. 1. As such, the first heating element 128 is closer to the outlet 123 of the center post 120 than the second heating element 130. The first and second heating elements 128, 130 are axially aligned with each other in the reservoir 112. In this example, the first and second heating elements 128, 130 are also axially aligned with the central axis 104, but in other examples can be offset from the central axis 104. In some examples, the bottom of the first heating element 128 is in contact with the top of the second heating element 130. In other examples, the heating elements 128, 130 may be spaced apart or separated by a structure (e.g., a gasket, a seal, a portion of the center post 120).

As shown in FIG. 1, the center post 120 has one or more first openings 140 that enable the oil 118 to pass from the cavity 116 to the first heating element 128. In the illustrated example, the first openings 140 are radially aligned with the first heating element 128 near the bottom of the first heating element 128. In some examples, the first openings 140 include multiple openings that are spaced apart circumferentially about the center post 120. The first ceramic cylinder 132 is porous. As such, oil 118 in the reservoir 112 passes through the first openings 140 and contacts the first heating element 128, which is absorbed by or saturates the first ceramic cylinder 132 of the first heating element 128. When the first heating element 128 is activated (e.g., by applying power to the first wire coil 134), the first ceramic cylinder 132 is heated, which causes the oil 118 in and/or contacting the first ceramic cylinder 132 to be vaporized or atomized into a vapor (shown by dotted arrows) in the internal passageway 122. When a user is drawing on the vaporizer 100, the vapor is drawn upward through the internal passageway 122 and inhaled by the user.

Similarly, in the illustrated example, the center post 120 has one or more second openings 142 that are radially aligned with the second heating element 128 near the bottom of the second heating element 130. The second openings 142 are axially spaced from the first openings 140. Oil 118 passes through the second openings 142 and contacts the second heating element 130 to saturate or absorb into the second ceramic cylinder 136. When the second heating element 130 is activated (e.g., by applying power to the second wire coil 138), the second ceramic cylinder 136 is heated, which vaporizes the oil 118 so that the vapor can be drawn through the internal passageway 122.

In the illustrated example, the body 102 has a lower portion 144 referred to herein as a base portion 144. In the illustrated example, the vaporizer 100 includes a battery 146 in the base portion 144. The battery 146 supplies electrical power to activate the heating elements 128, 130 and thereby vaporize the oil 118. The battery 146 may be implemented as a single battery or multiple batteries (e.g., a battery bank). In some examples the battery 146 is rechargeable, such as by plugging a cord (e.g., a micro-USB cord) into a port on the side of the vaporizer 100. In other examples, the battery 146 may not be re-chargeable. Instead, the vaporizer 100 may be intended as a disposable vaporizer, and when the battery 146 is drained, the vaporizer 100 is merely discarded or thrown away.

In the illustrated example, the vaporizer 100 includes a controller 148. The controller 148 includes a heating element activator 149 and a liquid level determiner 151. The heating element activator 149, the liquid level determiner 151, and/or, more generally, the controller 148 can be instantiated (e.g., creating an instance of, bring into being for any length of time, materialize, implement, etc.) by programmable circuitry such as a microprocessor or Central Processing Unit (CPU) executing first instructions. Additionally or alternatively, the controller 148 may be instantiated (e.g., creating an instance of, bring into being for any length of time, materialize, implement, etc.) by (i) an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) and/or (ii) a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) structured and/or configured in response to execution of second instructions to perform operations corresponding to the first instructions. It should be understood that some or all of the circuitry may, thus, be instantiated at the same or different times. Some or all of the circuitry may be instantiated, for example, in one or more threads executing concurrently on hardware and/or in series on hardware. Moreover, in some examples, some or all of the circuitry may be implemented by microprocessor circuitry executing instructions and/or FPGA circuitry performing operations to implement one or more virtual machines and/or containers.

In this example, the controller 148 is disposed in the base portion 144, but in other examples can be disposed in other portions of the vaporizer 100 (e.g., in the center post 120). The controller 148 is electrically coupled to the battery 146. The controller 148 is also electrically coupled to the first and second heating elements 128, 130 by one or more wires and/or electrical connections. In some examples, the first and second heating elements 128, 130 are separately electrically coupled to the controller 148. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the first heating element 128 (and, in particular, the first wire coil 134) is electrically coupled to the controller 148 by two wires (shown in dashed lines). Similarly, the second heating element 130 (and, in particular, the second wire coil 138) is separately electrically coupled to the controller 148 by two wires (shown in dashed lines) that are separate from the wires of the first heating element 128. As such, the controller 148 can independently activate the first or second heating elements 128, 130 by applying power to the respective wires. In particular, the heating element activator 149 of the controller 148 can activate one or both of the first and second heating elements 128, 130 by controlling or regulating the power (e.g., electrical current) from the battery 146 to the heating elements 128, 130. In some examples, the wires and/or electrical connections can extend along an outside of the center post 120, along an inside of the center post 120, and/or be embedded in the center post 120 and extend down the controller 148.

In some examples, the vaporizer 100 includes a button 150 that can be activated (e.g., pressed, slid, etc.) by a user to activate the vaporizer 100 and create a vaporized puff of oil (or other substance). In the illustrated example, the button 150 is disposed on a side of the body 102, but in other examples can be disposed in other locations (e.g., on the bottom end 108). The button 150 is electrically coupled to the controller 148. When a user presses and holds the button 150, the heating element activator 149 of the controller 148 activates one or both of the heating elements 128, 130, thereby vaporizing the oil 118, and the vapor can flow into the internal passageway 122. When the user releases the button 50, the heating element activator 149 of the controller 148 deactivates (e.g., by ceasing the supply of electrical power to) the heating elements 128, 130.

In some examples, the heating element activator 149 of the controller 148 is configured to activate the first heating element 128 but not the second heating element 130 when the amount of oil 118 in the reservoir 112 is above a threshold level, and activate the second heating element but not the first heating element 128 when the amount of oil 118 in the reservoir 112 is below the threshold level. In some examples, the vaporizer 100 includes a liquid level sensor 152 to monitor the liquid level. In some examples, the liquid level sensor 152 is positioned at or near the threshold level. In some example, the liquid level sensor 152 is in the reservoir 112. In this example, the liquid level sensor 152 is disposed adjacent the first openings 140. For example, the liquid level sensor 152 can be positioned at the same level as the first openings 140 or just below the first opening 140. The liquid level sensor 152 is electrically coupled (e.g., via one or more wires and/or connectors) to the controller 148. As shown in FIG. 1, the reservoir 112 is substantially full or filled with the oil 118, such that the top of the oil 118 is above the liquid level sensor 152. If a user presses on the button 150, the liquid level determiner 151 of the controller 148 determines, based on data (e.g., a signal, a lack of signal) from the liquid level sensor 152, whether oil is present at or near the liquid level sensor 152. If oil is sensed at or near the liquid level sensor 152, this is indicative that the level of oil 118 is at or above the liquid level sensor 152, i.e., at or above the threshold level. Based on the oil level being at or above the threshold level, the heating element activator 149 activates the first heating element 128 but not the second heating element 130. For example, in FIG. 1, the heating element activator 149 of the controller 148 applies power to the first wire coil 134 but not the second wire coil 138. As such, only the first heating element 128 heats up and is used to vaporize the oil 118 (as shown by the dotted arrows). Therefore, when the user presses the button 150 and the oil level is above the liquid level sensor 152, only the first heating element 128 is activated.

After multiple uses (e.g., 25, 50, 75), the oil level begins to drop, as shown in FIG. 2. In FIG. 2, the oil level has dropped below the liquid level sensor 152. If the user presses on the button 150, the liquid level determiner 151 determines, based on a signal (or lack of signal) from the liquid level sensor 152, that no oil is detected at the liquid level sensor 152, which is indicative of the oil level being below the liquid level sensor 152. In response to determining the oil level is below the liquid level sensor 152 (i.e., not above the threshold level), the controller 148 activates the second heating element 130 but not the first heating element 128. For example, the heating element activator 149 applies power to the second wire coil 138 but not the first wire coil 134. As such, only the second heating element 130 heats up and is used to vaporize the oil 118 (as shown by the dotted arrows). Therefore, when the user presses the button 150 and the oil level is below the liquid level sensor 152, only the second heating element 130 is activated. Thus, a new or fresh heating element can be used to vaporize the remaining oil in reservoir 112.

As disclosed above, heating elements tend to become dirty or clogged after a period of time and/or number of activations. This can negatively affect the taste or flavor of the vaporized oil. This can also cause the heating element to burn out and not operate. Therefore, the example multi-heating element design shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 provides an additional heating element that can be activated after the first heating element has been used. Therefore, the first heating element 128 is used to vaporize a first volume or portion of the oil in the reservoir 112, while the second heating element 130 is used to vaporizer a second volume or portion of the oil 118 in the reservoir 112. This design ensures a relatively new or fresh heating element is available, which improves the taste or flavor of the vaporized oil as well as reduces or prevents the heating elements from burning out from over-use. This design also enables larger volumes of oil (e.g., 2 mL, 5 mL, 10 mL, etc.) because there is an extra heating element that can be used for the extra oil.

In the illustrated example of FIGS. 1 and 2 the vaporizer 100 includes a button 150 to activate the vaporizer 100. Alternatively, in some examples, the vaporizer 100 can include an airflow sensor 154 that can be used to automatically activate the vaporizer 100. The airflow sensor 154 is disposed in the air flow path and can sense when a user is drawing on the vaporizer 100 based on air flow across the airflow sensor 154. The airflow sensor 154 is electrically coupled (e.g., via one or more wires and/or electrical connectors) to the controller 148. If a user starts to draw on the vaporizer 100 and air is drawn through the internal passageway 122, the airflow sensor 154 outputs a signal that is detected by the controller 148, and the controller 148 activates one of the heating elements 128, 130 based on the oil level as disclosed above. Therefore, the controller 148 activates one of the first or second heating elements 128, 130 based on the airflow sensor 154 detecting airflow. An example airflow sensor is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 8,205,622, titled “Electronic Cigarette,” which is hereby incorporated by reference.

In some examples, the controller 148 can be configured to activate the the first and second heating elements 128, 130 independently or at the same time. Activating both of the heating elements 128, 130 at the same time produces a larger volume (e.g., puff) of vaporized oil (or other substance), which enables a user to inhale more vaporizer oil in one draw. In some examples, the determination of whether to activate one or both of the heating elements 128, 130 is based on an input or trigger from the user. For example, if the user presses the button 150 once and holds the button 150, the controller 148 will activate only one of the heating elements 128, 130 based on the level of the liquid as disclosed above. However, if the user presses the button 150 twice and holds the button 150, the controller 148 may activate both of the heating elements 128, 130 at the same time. Therefore, the user can decide whether to activate one or both of the heating elements 128, 130. In other examples, a switch or second button can be provided to enable the user to select between one heating element and two heating elements.

In some examples, the heating elements 128, 130 are separate heating elements. In other examples, one or more portions of the heating elements 128, 130 can be combined or integrated. For example, in some examples, the ceramic cylinders 132, 136 may be combined as one continuous ceramic cylinder. In such an example, the separate wire coils 134, 138 are used to heat the upper or lower sections, respectively, of the ceramic cylinder. In some examples, the wire coils 134, 138 may be constructed as single wire coil that has sections or stages that can independently activate. For example, the single wire coil may be a coil with 10 loops or turns, where the top 5 loops correspond to the first heating element 128 and the bottom 5 loops correspond to the second heating element 130. The wire coil can include a circuit device, such as a switch or transistor, that can selectively direct power to only the top 5 loops or only the bottom 5 loops. For example, if the oil level is above the liquid level sensor 152, the circuit device directs power to only the top 5 loops, whereas if the oil level is below the liquid level sensor 152, the circuit device is activated to direct power to only the bottom 5 loops. In other examples, the single wire coil can be divided into multiple stages or rings that independently activate as the oil level decreases. For example, at the beginning, more power can be applied to the top ring or section, and as the oil level decreases, the power phases out and more power is applied to the lower rings or sections.

While in the example of FIGS. 1 and 2 the vaporizer 100 has two heating elements, in other examples the vaporizer 100 can include more than two heating elements, such as three, four, five, etc. heating elements. For example, FIG. 3 shows an example in which the vaporizer 100 has a third heating element 300, which is disposed below the second heating element 130. The heating elements 128, 130, 300 are independently activatable or operable. Therefore, each of the heating elements 128, 130, 300 can be separately activated by the controller 148. The third heating element 300 is electrically coupled to the controller 148, although the wires and/or electrical connectors have been omitted for clarity. The center post 120 has third openings 302 for allowing the oil 118 to pass to and contact the third heating element 300. The vaporizer 100 of FIG. 3 also includes a second liquid level sensor 304, which is at or near (e.g., below) the second openings 142. In this example, if the oil level is above the first liquid level sensor 152, the controller 148 activates only the first heating element 128 (the top heating element). In this example, if the oil level is below the first liquid level sensor 152 and above the second liquid level sensor 304, the controller 148 activates only the second heating element 130 (the middle heating element). In this example, if the oil level is below the second liquid level sensor 304, the controller 148 activates only the third heating element 300 (the bottom heating element). The additional heating element helps to further ensure there is a relatively new or fresh heating element that can be used. As disclosed above, this improves taste and efficiency by preventing one heating element from being overused.

In some examples, the vaporizer 100 is a disposable vaporizer and is meant to be discarded (e.g., thrown away) after the oil 118 is consumed, the battery 146 dies, and/or the vaporizer 100 otherwise becomes inoperable. In other examples, the vaporizer 100 may be configured as a reusable vaporizer. For example, a user may be able to refill the reservoir 112 with new oil (or other substance), replace the heating elements 128, 130, and/or charge the battery 146.

In some examples, the entire reservoir 112 of the vaporizer 100 is replaceable. For example, FIG. 4 shows an example in which the vaporizer 100 includes a cartridge 400. The cartridge 400 includes the reservoir 112, the mouthpiece 110, and the center post 120 with the first and second heating elements 128, 130. The cartridge 400 is removeably couplable to the base portion 144. As such, a user can easily discard the cartridge 400 and replace the cartridge 400 with a new cartridge. For example, when the cartridge 400 is empty or near empty, the user can remove and discard the cartridge 400, and then attach a new cartridge that is full of oil (or other substance).

In the illustrated example, the center post 120 has a lower base portion 402, which defines the air inlet openings 124. A bottom 404 of the reservoir casing 114 is coupled to the lower base portion 402, such as by friction fit or an adhesive.

In the illustrated example, the lower base portion 402 of the center post 120 has a first connector 406 and the base portion 144 has a second connector 408. The first connector 406 can mate or otherwise couple to the second connector 408. This enables the cartridge 400 to be removeably coupled to the base portion 144. In some examples, the first connector 406 is a threaded extension with “510” threads, and the second connector 408 is a threaded bore with “510” threads. “510” threads are a common type of thread pattern for a vaporizer cartridges. “510” threads mean there are 10 threads spaced 5 millimeters apart. Therefore, the cartridge 400 can be screwed into the base portion 144. In another example, the first and second connectors 406, 408 can include magnets, or one can include a magnet and the other can include a ferromagnetic material (e.g., iron). Therefore, the cartridge 400 can be magnetically coupled to the base portion 144.

In some examples, the first and second connectors 406, 408 include electrical connectors for forming an electrical connection between the cartridge 400 and the base portion 144. As such, when the cartridge 400 is coupled to the base portion 144, the heating elements 128, 130 and the liquid level sensor 152 are electrically coupled to the controller 148. The controller 148 can activate the first and/or second heating elements 128, 130 by applying power from the battery 146. For example, the first and second connectors 406, 408 may include one or more coaxial electrical connectors (e.g., rings) that mate with corresponding electrical connectors to electrically coupled the first and second heating elements 128, 130 and the liquid level sensor 152 to the controller 148.

In the illustrated example, the controller 148 remains in the base portion 144 of the vaporizer 100. This enables the cartridge 400 to be a relatively inexpensive, disposable cartridge. However, in other examples, the controller 148 or a portion of the controller 148 (e.g., the heating element activator 149, the liquid level determiner 151) can be incorporated into the cartridge 400. For example, the controller or a portion of the controller 148 can be disposed in the lower base portion 402 of the center post 120. When the cartridge 400 is coupled to the base portion 144, electrical power is supplied to the controller 148. The controller 148 can then operate the first and second heating elements 128, 130 as disclosed herein.

While an example manner of implementing the controller is illustrated in FIG. 1, one or more of the elements, processes, and/or devices illustrated in FIG. 1 may be combined, divided, re-arranged, omitted, eliminated, and/or implemented in any other way. Further, the heating element activator 149, the liquid level determiner 151, and/or, more generally, the example controller 148 of FIG. 1, may be implemented by hardware alone or by hardware in combination with software and/or firmware. Thus, for example, any of the heating element activator 149, the liquid level determiner 151, and/or, more generally, the example controller 148, could be implemented by programmable circuitry in combination with machine readable instructions (e.g., firmware or software), processor circuitry, analog circuit(s), digital circuit(s), logic circuit(s), programmable processor(s), programmable microcontroller(s), graphics processing unit(s) (GPU(s)), digital signal processor(s) (DSP(s)), ASIC(s), programmable logic device(s) (PLD(s)), and/or field programmable logic device(s) (FPLD(s)) such as FPGAs. Further still, the example controller 148 of FIG. 1 may include one or more elements, processes, and/or devices in addition to, or instead of, those illustrated in FIG. 1, and/or may include more than one of any or all of the illustrated elements, processes and devices.

A flowchart representative of example machine readable instructions, which may be executed by programmable circuitry to implement and/or instantiate the controller 148 of FIG. 1 and/or representative of example operations which may be performed by programmable circuitry to implement and/or instantiate the controller 148 of FIG. 1, is shown in FIG. 5. The machine readable instructions may be one or more executable programs or portion(s) of one or more executable programs for execution by programmable circuitry such as the programmable circuitry 612 shown in the example programmable circuitry platform 600 discussed below in connection with FIG. 6 and/or may be one or more function(s) or portion(s) of functions to be performed by the example programmable circuitry (e.g., an FPGA). In some examples, the machine readable instructions cause an operation, a task, etc., to be carried out and/or performed in an automated manner in the real world. As used herein, “automated” means without human involvement.

The program may be embodied in instructions (e.g., software and/or firmware) stored on one or more non-transitory computer readable and/or machine readable storage medium such as cache memory, a magnetic-storage device or disk (e.g., a floppy disk, a Hard Disk Drive (HDD), etc.), an optical-storage device or disk (e.g., a Blu-ray disk, a Compact Disk (CD), a Digital Versatile Disk (DVD), etc.), a Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID), a register, ROM, a solid-state drive (SSD), SSD memory, non- volatile memory (e.g., electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, etc.), volatile memory (e.g., Random Access Memory (RAM) of any type, etc.), and/or any other storage device or storage disk. The instructions of the non-transitory computer readable and/or machine readable medium may program and/or be executed by programmable circuitry located in one or more hardware devices, but the entire program and/or parts thereof could alternatively be executed and/or instantiated by one or more hardware devices other than the programmable circuitry and/or embodied in dedicated hardware. The machine readable instructions may be distributed across multiple hardware devices and/or executed by two or more hardware devices (e.g., a server and a client hardware device). For example, the client hardware device may be implemented by an endpoint client hardware device (e.g., a hardware device associated with a human and/or machine user) or an intermediate client hardware device gateway (e.g., a radio access network (RAN)) that may facilitate communication between a server and an endpoint client hardware device. Similarly, the non-transitory computer readable storage medium may include one or more mediums. Further, although the example program is described with reference to the flowchart(s) illustrated in FIG. 6, many other methods of implementing the example controller 148 may alternatively be used. For example, the order of execution of the blocks of the flowchart(s) may be changed, and/or some of the blocks described may be changed, eliminated, or combined. Additionally or alternatively, any or all of the blocks of the flow chart may be implemented by one or more hardware circuits (e.g., processor circuitry, discrete and/or integrated analog and/or digital circuitry, an FPGA, an ASIC, a comparator, an operational-amplifier (op-amp), a logic circuit, etc.) structured to perform the corresponding operation without executing software or firmware. The programmable circuitry may be distributed in different network locations and/or local to one or more hardware devices (e.g., a single-core processor (e.g., a single core CPU), a multi-core processor (e.g., a multi-core CPU, an XPU, etc.)). For example, the programmable circuitry may be a CPU and/or an FPGA located in the same package (e.g., the same integrated circuit (IC) package or in two or more separate housings), one or more processors in a single machine, multiple processors distributed across multiple servers of a server rack, multiple processors distributed across one or more server racks, etc., and/or any combination(s) thereof.

The machine readable instructions described herein may be stored in one or more of a compressed format, an encrypted format, a fragmented format, a compiled format, an executable format, a packaged format, etc. Machine readable instructions as described herein may be stored as data (e.g., computer-readable data, machine-readable data, one or more bits (e.g., one or more computer-readable bits, one or more machine-readable bits, etc.), a bitstream (e.g., a computer-readable bitstream, a machine-readable bitstream, etc.), etc.) or a data structure (e.g., as portion(s) of instructions, code, representations of code, etc.) that may be utilized to create, manufacture, and/or produce machine executable instructions. For example, the machine readable instructions may be fragmented and stored on one or more storage devices, disks and/or computing devices (e.g., servers) located at the same or different locations of a network or collection of networks (e.g., in the cloud, in edge devices, etc.). The machine readable instructions may require one or more of installation, modification, adaptation, updating, combining, supplementing, configuring, decryption, decompression, unpacking, distribution, reassignment, compilation, etc., in order to make them directly readable, interpretable, and/or executable by a computing device and/or other machine. For example, the machine readable instructions may be stored in multiple parts, which are individually compressed, encrypted, and/or stored on separate computing devices, wherein the parts when decrypted, decompressed, and/or combined form a set of computer-executable and/or machine executable instructions that implement one or more functions and/or operations that may together form a program such as that described herein.

In another example, the machine readable instructions may be stored in a state in which they may be read by programmable circuitry, but require addition of a library (e.g., a dynamic link library (DLL)), a software development kit (SDK), an application programming interface (API), etc., in order to execute the machine-readable instructions on a particular computing device or other device. In another example, the machine readable instructions may need to be configured (e.g., settings stored, data input, network addresses recorded, etc.) before the machine readable instructions and/or the corresponding program(s) can be executed in whole or in part. Thus, machine readable, computer readable and/or machine readable media, as used herein, may include instructions and/or program(s) regardless of the particular format or state of the machine readable instructions and/or program(s).

The machine readable instructions described herein can be represented by any past, present, or future instruction language, scripting language, programming language, etc. For example, the machine readable instructions may be represented using any of the following languages: C, C++, Java, C #, Perl, Python, JavaScript, HyperText Markup Language (HTML), Structured Query Language (SQL), Swift, etc.

As mentioned above, the example operations of FIG. 5 may be implemented using executable instructions (e.g., computer readable and/or machine readable instructions) stored on one or more non-transitory computer readable and/or machine readable media. As used herein, the terms non-transitory computer readable medium, non-transitory computer readable storage medium, non-transitory machine readable medium, and/or non-transitory machine readable storage medium are expressly defined to include any type of computer readable storage device and/or storage disk and to exclude propagating signals and to exclude transmission media. Examples of such non-transitory computer readable medium, non-transitory computer readable storage medium, non-transitory machine readable medium, and/or non-transitory machine readable storage medium include optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, an HDD, a flash memory, a read-only memory (ROM), a CD, a DVD, a cache, a RAM of any type, a register, and/or any other storage device or storage disk in which information is stored for any duration (e.g., for extended time periods, permanently, for brief instances, for temporarily buffering, and/or for caching of the information). As used herein, the terms “non-transitory computer readable storage device” and “non-transitory machine readable storage device” are defined to include any physical (mechanical, magnetic and/or electrical) hardware to retain information for a time period, but to exclude propagating signals and to exclude transmission media. Examples of non-transitory computer readable storage devices and/or non-transitory machine readable storage devices include random access memory of any type, read only memory of any type, solid state memory, flash memory, optical discs, magnetic disks, disk drives, and/or redundant array of independent disks (RAID) systems. As used herein, the term “device” refers to physical structure such as mechanical and/or electrical equipment, hardware, and/or circuitry that may or may not be configured by computer readable instructions, machine readable instructions, etc., and/or manufactured to execute computer-readable instructions, machine-readable instructions, etc.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart representative of example machine readable instructions and/or example operations 500 that may be executed, instantiated, and/or performed by programmable circuitry to operate a vaporizer with multiple heating elements. The example machine-readable instructions and/or the example operations 500 are described in connection with the vaporization 100 of FIGS. 1 and 2 having the first and second heating elements 128, 130, but can similarly be implemented in other example vaporizers disclosed herein.

In some examples, the example machine-readable instructions and/or the example operations 500 of FIG. 5 begin at block 502, at which the controller 148 determines whether the button 150 is activated (e.g., pressed) or the airflow sensor 154 detects airflow (e.g., when a user is drawing on the vaporizer 100). In some examples, to conserve power, the controller 148 is off or in a low-power or standby state until the button 150 is pressed or the airflow sensor 154 detects airflow. When the button 150 is pressed or the airflow sensor 154 detects airflow, the controller 148 is activated or turned on. For example, the button 150 may be switch that electrically couples the battery 146 to the controller 148 to supply power to activate the controller 148.

At block 504, the liquid level determiner 151 determines the oil level. For example, the liquid level determiner 151 may determine whether the oil level is above a threshold level. For example, the threshold level correspond to the location of the liquid level sensor 152. The liquid level sensor 152 measures or detects whether oil is present at the liquid level sensor 152 (i.e., at the threshold level). Based on an output signal (or lack of output signal) from the liquid level sensor 152, the liquid level determiner 151 determines whether the oil level is above the threshold level. If the oil level is at or above the threshold level, the heating element activator 149, at block 506, activates the first heating element 128 only. However, if the oil level is not at or above the threshold level (i.e., is below the threshold level), the heating element activator 149, at block 508, activates the second heating element 130 only. The heating element activator 149 activates the heating elements 128, 130 by allowing or regulating power from the battery 146 to the heating elements 128, 130. The heating element activator 149 activates the designated heating element 128, 130 for the entire time the button 150 is pressed or the airflow sensor 154 detects airflow. Once the button 150 is released or the airflow sensor 154 does not detect airflow, the heating element activator 149 deactivates the designated heating element 128, 130, and the controller 148 may turn off or switch to lower-power state. The example process is repeated when the button 150 is activated again or the airflow sensor 154 detects airflow.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an example programmable circuitry platform 600 structured to execute and/or instantiate the example machine-readable instructions and/or the example operations of FIG. 5 to implement the controller 148 of FIG. 1. The programmable circuitry platform 600 can be, for example, a server, a personal computer, a workstation, a self-learning machine (e.g., a neural network), a mobile device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), an Internet appliance, or any other type of computing and/or electronic device.

The programmable circuitry platform 600 of the illustrated example includes programmable circuitry 612. The programmable circuitry 612 of the illustrated example is hardware. For example, the programmable circuitry 612 can be implemented by one or more integrated circuits, logic circuits, FPGAs, microprocessors, CPUs, GPUs, DSPs, and/or microcontrollers from any desired family or manufacturer. The programmable circuitry 612 may be implemented by one or more semiconductor based (e.g., silicon based) devices. In this example, the programmable circuitry 612 implements the heating element activator 149 and the liquid level determiner 151.

The programmable circuitry 612 of the illustrated example includes a local memory 613 (e.g., a cache, registers, etc.). The programmable circuitry 612 of the illustrated example is in communication with main memory 614, 616, which includes a volatile memory 614 and a non-volatile memory 616, by a bus 618. The volatile memory 614 may be implemented by Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (SDRAM), Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM), RAMBUS® Dynamic Random Access Memory (RDRAM®), and/or any other type of RAM device. The non-volatile memory 616 may be implemented by flash memory and/or any other desired type of memory device. Access to the main memory 614, 616 of the illustrated example is controlled by a memory controller 617. In some examples, the memory controller 617 may be implemented by one or more integrated circuits, logic circuits, microcontrollers from any desired family or manufacturer, or any other type of circuitry to manage the flow of data going to and from the main memory 614, 616.

The programmable circuitry platform 600 of the illustrated example also includes interface circuitry 620. The interface circuitry 620 may be implemented by hardware in accordance with any type of interface standard, such as an Ethernet interface, a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a Bluetooth® interface, a near field communication (NFC) interface, a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) interface, and/or a Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) interface.

In the illustrated example, one or more input devices 622 are connected to the interface circuitry 620. The input device(s) 622 permit(s) a user (e.g., a human user, a machine user, etc.) to enter data and/or commands into the programmable circuitry 612. The input device(s) 622 include the liquid level sensors 152, 304 and/or the airflow sensor 154. Additionally or alternatively, the input device(s) 622 can be implemented by, for example, an audio sensor, a microphone, a camera (still or video), a keyboard, a button, a mouse, a touchscreen, a trackpad, a trackball, an isopoint device, and/or a voice recognition system.

One or more output devices 624 are also connected to the interface circuitry 620 of the illustrated example. The output device(s) 624 include the heating elements 128, 130, 300. Additionally or alternatively, the output device(s) 624 can be implemented, for example, by display devices (e.g., a light emitting diode (LED), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a cathode ray tube (CRT) display, an in-place switching (IPS) display, a touchscreen, etc.), a tactile output device, a printer, and/or speaker. The interface circuitry 620 of the illustrated example, thus, typically includes a graphics driver card, a graphics driver chip, and/or graphics processor circuitry such as a GPU.

The interface circuitry 620 of the illustrated example also includes a communication device such as a transmitter, a receiver, a transceiver, a modem, a residential gateway, a wireless access point, and/or a network interface to facilitate exchange of data with external machines (e.g., computing devices of any kind) by a network 626. The communication can be by, for example, an Ethernet connection, a digital subscriber line (DSL) connection, a telephone line connection, a coaxial cable system, a satellite system, a beyond-line-of-sight wireless system, a line-of-sight wireless system, a cellular telephone system, an optical connection, etc.

The programmable circuitry platform 600 of the illustrated example also includes one or more mass storage discs or devices 628 to store firmware, software, and/or data. Examples of such mass storage discs or devices 628 include magnetic storage devices (e.g., floppy disk, drives, HDDs, etc.), optical storage devices (e.g., Blu-ray disks, CDs, DVDs, etc.), RAID systems, and/or solid-state storage discs or devices such as flash memory devices and/or SSDs.

The machine readable instructions 632, which may be implemented by the machine readable instructions of FIG. 5, may be stored in the mass storage device 628, in the volatile memory 614, in the non-volatile memory 616, and/or on at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium such as a CD or DVD which may be removable.

“Including” and “comprising” (and all forms and tenses thereof) are used herein to be open ended terms. Thus, whenever a claim employs any form of “include” or “comprise” (e.g., comprises, includes, comprising, including, having, etc.) as a preamble or within a claim recitation of any kind, it is to be understood that additional elements, terms, etc., may be present without falling outside the scope of the corresponding claim or recitation. As used herein, when the phrase “at least” is used as the transition term in, for example, a preamble of a claim, it is open-ended in the same manner as the term “comprising” and “including” are open ended. The term “and/or” when used, for example, in a form such as A, B, and/or C refers to any combination or subset of A, B, C such as (1) A alone, (2) B alone, (3) C alone, (4) A with B, (5) A with C, (6) B with C, or (7) A with B and with C. As used herein in the context of describing structures, components, items, objects and/or things, the phrase “at least one of A and B” is intended to refer to implementations including any of (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, or (3) at least one A and at least one B. Similarly, as used herein in the context of describing structures, components, items, objects and/or things, the phrase “at least one of A or B” is intended to refer to implementations including any of (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, or (3) at least one A and at least one B. As used herein in the context of describing the performance or execution of processes, instructions, actions, activities, etc., the phrase “at least one of A and B” is intended to refer to implementations including any of (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, or (3) at least one A and at least one B. Similarly, as used herein in the context of describing the performance or execution of processes, instructions, actions, activities, etc., the phrase “at least one of A or B” is intended to refer to implementations including any of (1) at least one A, (2) at least one B, or (3) at least one A and at least one B.

As used herein, singular references (e.g., “a”, “an”, “first”, “second”, etc.) do not exclude a plurality. The term “a” or “an” object, as used herein, refers to one or more of that object. The terms “a” (or “an”), “one or more”, and “at least one” are used interchangeably herein. Furthermore, although individually listed, a plurality of means, elements, or actions may be implemented by, e.g., the same entity or object. Additionally, although individual features may be included in different examples or claims, these may possibly be combined, and the inclusion in different examples or claims does not imply that a combination of features is not feasible and/or advantageous.

As used herein, unless otherwise stated, the term “above” describes the relationship of two parts relative to Earth. A first part is above a second part, if the second part has at least one part between Earth and the first part. Likewise, as used herein, a first part is “below” a second part when the first part is closer to the Earth than the second part. As noted above, a first part can be above or below a second part with one or more of: other parts therebetween, without other parts therebetween, with the first and second parts touching, or without the first and second parts being in direct contact with one another.

As used in this patent, stating that any part (e.g., a layer, film, area, region, or plate) is in any way on (e.g., positioned on, located on, disposed on, or formed on, etc.) another part, indicates that the referenced part is either in contact with the other part, or that the referenced part is above the other part with one or more intermediate part(s) located therebetween.

As used herein, connection references (e.g., attached, coupled, connected, and joined) may include intermediate members between the elements referenced by the connection reference and/or relative movement between those elements unless otherwise indicated. As such, connection references do not necessarily infer that two elements are directly connected and/or in fixed relation to each other. As used herein, stating that any part is in “contact” with another part is defined to mean that there is no intermediate part between the two parts.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, descriptors such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., are used herein without imputing or otherwise indicating any meaning of priority, physical order, arrangement in a list, and/or ordering in any way, but are merely used as labels and/or arbitrary names to distinguish elements for ease of understanding the disclosed examples. In some examples, the descriptor “first” may be used to refer to an element in the detailed description, while the same element may be referred to in a claim with a different descriptor such as “second” or “third.” In such instances, it should be understood that such descriptors are used merely for identifying those elements distinctly within the context of the discussion (e.g., within a claim) in which the elements might, for example, otherwise share a same name.

As used herein, “approximately” and “about” modify their subjects/values to recognize the potential presence of variations that occur in real world applications. For example, “approximately” and “about” may modify dimensions that may not be exact due to manufacturing tolerances and/or other real world imperfections as will be understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art. For example, “approximately” and “about” may indicate such dimensions may be within a tolerance range of +/−10% unless otherwise specified herein.

As used herein, the phrase “in communication,” including variations thereof, encompasses direct communication and/or indirect communication through one or more intermediary components, and does not require direct physical (e.g., wired) communication and/or constant communication, but rather additionally includes selective communication at periodic intervals, scheduled intervals, aperiodic intervals, and/or one-time events.

As used herein, “programmable circuitry” is defined to include (i) one or more special purpose electrical circuits (e.g., an application specific circuit (ASIC)) structured to perform specific operation(s) and including one or more semiconductor-based logic devices (e.g., electrical hardware implemented by one or more transistors), and/or (ii) one or more general purpose semiconductor-based electrical circuits programmable with instructions to perform specific functions(s) and/or operation(s) and including one or more semiconductor-based logic devices (e.g., electrical hardware implemented by one or more transistors). Examples of programmable circuitry include programmable microprocessors such as Central Processor Units (CPUs) that may execute first instructions to perform one or more operations and/or functions, Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) that may be programmed with second instructions to cause configuration and/or structuring of the FPGAs to instantiate one or more operations and/or functions corresponding to the first instructions, Graphics Processor Units (GPUs) that may execute first instructions to perform one or more operations and/or functions, Digital Signal Processors (DSPs) that may execute first instructions to perform one or more operations and/or functions, XPUs, Network Processing Units (NPUs) one or more microcontrollers that may execute first instructions to perform one or more operations and/or functions and/or integrated circuits such as Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs). For example, an XPU may be implemented by a heterogeneous computing system including multiple types of programmable circuitry (e.g., one or more FPGAs, one or more CPUs, one or more GPUs, one or more NPUs, one or more DSPs, etc., and/or any combination(s) thereof), and orchestration technology (e.g., application programming interface(s) (API(s)) that may assign computing task(s) to whichever one(s) of the multiple types of programmable circuitry is/are suited and available to perform the computing task(s).

As used herein integrated circuit/circuitry is defined as one or more semiconductor packages containing one or more circuit elements such as transistors, capacitors, inductors, resistors, current paths, diodes, etc. For example an integrated circuit may be implemented as one or more of an ASIC, an FPGA, a chip, a microchip, programmable circuitry, a semiconductor substrate coupling multiple circuit elements, a system on chip (SoC), etc.

From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that example systems, apparatus, articles of manufacture, and methods have been disclosed that improve operability of a vaporizer. The examples disclosed herein provide multiple heating elements in a reservoir such that a relatively fresh or new heating element can be used, which improves taste and prevents/reduces heating element burnout. The examples disclosed herein provide multiple heating elements or stages of heating elements, where a top heating element operates until the liquid level falls below an intake point for the top heating element, which then automatically shutoffs, and then power transfers to the next heating element and so on and so on. This enables the use of a relatively large reservoir or tank and continuous use of a fresh heating element in stages, such that as the liquid reserve decreases, a relatively fresh oil is available just as the first uses of the vaporizer.

Examples and combinations of examples disclosed herein include the following:

Example 1 is a vaporizer comprising a reservoir to contain a liquid to be vaporized. The vaporizer comprises a first heating element in the reservoir. The first heating element is to, when activated, vaporize a first volume of the liquid in the reservoir. The vaporizer comprises a second heating element in the reservoir. The second heating element is to, when activated, vaporize a second volume of the liquid in the reservoir. The first and second heating elements are independently activatable.

Example 2 includes the vaporizer of Example 1, wherein the first and second heating elements are axially aligned with each other in the reservoir.

Example 3 includes the vaporizer of Examples 1 or 2, further including controller to independently activate the first and second heating elements.

Example 4 includes the vaporizer of Example 3, wherein the first and second heating elements are separately electrically coupled to the controller.

Example 5 includes the vaporizer of Examples 3 or 4, wherein the controller is to activate the first heating element but not the second heating element when the liquid in the reservoir is above a threshold level, and wherein the controller is to activate the second heating element but not the first heating element when the liquid in the reservoir is below the threshold level.

Example 6 includes the vaporizer of Example 5, further including a liquid level sensor in the reservoir, wherein the controller is to determine whether the liquid is above or below the threshold level based on data from the liquid level sensor.

Example 7 includes the vaporizer of any of Examples 3-6, further including a button, wherein the controller is to activate one of the first or second heating elements when the button is activated.

Example 8 includes the vaporizer of any of Examples 3-7, further including an airflow sensor, wherein the controller is to activate one of the first or second heating element based on the airflow sensor detecting airflow.

Example 9 includes the vaporizer of any of Examples 1-8, further including a center post in the reservoir, the center post defining an internal passageway, the first and second heating elements disposed in the center post.

Example 10 includes the vaporizer of Example 9, wherein the first and second heating elements are stacked axially in the center post.

Example 11 includes the vaporizer of Examples 9 or 10, wherein the center post has a first opening radially aligned with the first heating element to enable the liquid to pass through the first opening and contact the first heating element, and wherein the center post has a second opening radially aligned with the second heating element to enable the liquid to pass through the second opening and contact the second heating element.

Example 12 includes the vaporizer of any of Examples 1-11, further including a third heating element in the reservoir, the first, second, and third heating elements being independently activatable.

Example 13 is a vaporizer comprising, a reservoir to contain a liquid to be vaporized, a liquid level sensor, a first heating element in the reservoir, a second heating element in the reservoir, and a controller to activate only the first heating element when the amount of liquid is above the liquid level sensor, and activate only the second heating element when the amount of liquid is below the liquid level sensor.

Example 14 includes the vaporizer of Example 13, further including a center post in the reservoir, the first and second heating elements disposed in the center post, wherein the center post has a first opening radially aligned with the first heating element to enable the liquid to pass through the first opening and contact the first heating element, and wherein the center post has a second opening radially aligned with the second heating element to enable the liquid to pass through the second opening and contact the second heating element.

Example 15 includes the vaporizer of Example 14, wherein the first heating element is closer to an outlet of the center post than the second heating element.

Example 16 includes the vaporizer of Example 15, wherein the liquid level sensor is adjacent the first opening.

Example 17 includes the vaporizer of any of Examples 13-16, wherein the controller is a microprocessor.

Example 18 is a cartridge for a vaporizer, the cartridge comprising a reservoir casing defining a cavity to contain a liquid, a center post extending through a center of the cavity, a first heating element in the center post, and a second heating element in the center post. The first and second heating elements are independently activatable.

Example 19 includes the reservoir of Example 18, wherein the first and second heating elements are ceramic heating elements.

Example 20 includes the reservoir of Examples 18 or 19, wherein the first and second heating elements are axially stacked in the center post.

The following claims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description by this reference. Although certain example systems, apparatus, articles of manufacture, and methods have been disclosed herein, the scope of coverage of this patent is not limited thereto. On the contrary, this patent covers all systems, apparatus, articles of manufacture, and methods fairly falling within the scope of the claims of this patent.