Vaporizers Having Multiple Heating Elements

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

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.

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.

is a cross-sectional schematic view of an example vaporizerconstructed in accordance with the teachings of this disclosure. The vaporizeris 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 vaporizerhas a bodythat defines a longitudinal or central axis. In this example, the bodyis cylindrical shaped. In other examples, the bodycan be shaped differently (e.g., have one or more flat sides, a cuboid, a rectangular prism, a polyhedron, etc.). The bodymay have one or more portions or sections, disclosed in further detail herein. In some examples, one or more portions of the bodyare detachable. For example, some vaporizers have replaceable cartridges or reservoirs, an example of which is disclosed in further detail herein. The bodycan be constructed of different materials, such as for example, plastic and/or metal. The bodyhas a top endand a bottom endopposite the top end. In some examples, a mouthpiece(e.g., a plastic mouthpiece) is coupled to the top end. To use the vaporizer, a user can put their mouth on the mouthpieceand inhale. In some examples, the mouthpieceis removable from the body. In other examples, the vaporizermay not include a separate mouthpiece. Instead, a user may place their mouth directly around the upper portion of the bodyat the top end. 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, or slightly angled orientation, such that gravity naturally pulls the liquid in the reservoir toward the bottom end. However, in other examples, a vaporizer can be operated horizontally and/or at any other orientation.

In the illustrated example, the vaporizerincludes a reservoir(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 reservoiris formed or defined by a portionof the bodyreferred to herein as a reservoir casing. The reservoir casingof the reservoirdefines an internal chamber or cavityfor containing the liquid and/or dry substance. In this example, the vaporizercontains oilin the cavityof the reservoir. However, in other examples, the vaporizercan include other types of liquids and/or dry substances (e.g., dry herb). In some examples, the reservoir casingis at least partially transparent or translucent, such as clear plastic or glass, to enable a user to view how much oilis left in the reservoir. In other examples, the reservoir casingis entirely opaque.

In the illustrated example, the reservoirincludes a center post(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. For example the center postis axially aligned along the center axis. The oilsurrounds the center post. The center postdefines an internal passageway(also referred to as a central air passageway) for air and/or vapor to travel up to the mouthpieceand/or otherwise to the top endof the bodyto be inhaled by the user. The center posthas an outletat the top end, which is aligned with a center passageway of the mouthpiece. The center postmay 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 postis constructed of metal (e.g., aluminum, steel, etc.).

In the illustrated example, the vaporizerhas one or more air inlet openings, sometimes referred to as primary air holes. The air inlet openingsconnect to the internal passageway. Therefore, when a user places their mouth on the vaporizerand inhales, outside air is drawn through the air inlet openingsand up through the internal passagewayto the outletand the mouthpiece, as shown by the dash-dot arrows. In the illustrated example, the air inlet openingsare formed on a side of the bodybelow the reservoir. However, in other examples, the air inlet openingscan be provided in other locations. In some examples, an air inlet opening can be on the bottom endof the bodyand extends through a base portionof the bodyto the internal passageway.

In the illustrated example, the vaporizerincludes multiple heating elements. In this example, the vaporizerincludes two heating elements: a first heating elementand a second heating element. The heating elements,are sometimes referred to as heaters, coils, or atomizers. In the illustrated example, the first and second heating elements,are disposed in the cavityof the reservoir. In particular, in this example, the first and second heating elements,are disposed in the center post. The first and second heating elements,are independently activatable or operable. When one or both of the heating elements,are activated, the heating elements,vaporize the oilinto a vapor that passes into the internal passagewayand can be inhaled by a user.

In the illustrated example, the first and second heating elements,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 elementincludes a first ceramic cylinderand a first wire coilthat is embedded in the first ceramic cylinder. In other examples, the wire coilcan be disposed along the inside of the first ceramic cylinderor another location. The first wire coilmay be a low gauge, high resistance wire. When electrical power (e.g., current) is applied to the first wire coil, the first wire coilgenerates heat (e.g., via resistance), which heats up the first ceramic cylinderand thereby vaporizes the oilin the first ceramic cylinder. The second heating elementsimilarly includes a second ceramic cylinderand a second wire coiland operates in the same manner. In other examples, the cylindrical cores of the first and second heating elements,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,can be implemented or configured as other types of heating elements.

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

As shown in, the center posthas one or more first openingsthat enable the oilto pass from the cavityto the first heating element. In the illustrated example, the first openingsare radially aligned with the first heating elementnear the bottom of the first heating element. In some examples, the first openingsinclude multiple openings that are spaced apart circumferentially about the center post. The first ceramic cylinderis porous. As such, oilin the reservoirpasses through the first openingsand contacts the first heating element, which is absorbed by or saturates the first ceramic cylinderof the first heating element. When the first heating elementis activated (e.g., by applying power to the first wire coil), the first ceramic cylinderis heated, which causes the oilin and/or contacting the first ceramic cylinderto be vaporized or atomized into a vapor (shown by dotted arrows) in the internal passageway. When a user is drawing on the vaporizer, the vapor is drawn upward through the internal passagewayand inhaled by the user.

Similarly, in the illustrated example, the center posthas one or more second openingsthat are radially aligned with the second heating elementnear the bottom of the second heating element. The second openingsare axially spaced from the first openings. Oilpasses through the second openingsand contacts the second heating elementto saturate or absorb into the second ceramic cylinder. When the second heating elementis activated (e.g., by applying power to the second wire coil), the second ceramic cylinderis heated, which vaporizes the oilso that the vapor can be drawn through the internal passageway.

In the illustrated example, the bodyhas a lower portionreferred to herein as a base portion. In the illustrated example, the vaporizerincludes a batteryin the base portion. The batterysupplies electrical power to activate the heating elements,and thereby vaporize the oil. The batterymay be implemented as a single battery or multiple batteries (e.g., a battery bank). In some examples the batteryis rechargeable, such as by plugging a cord (e.g., a micro-USB cord) into a port on the side of the vaporizer. In other examples, the batterymay not be re-chargeable. Instead, the vaporizermay be intended as a disposable vaporizer, and when the batteryis drained, the vaporizeris merely discarded or thrown away.

In the illustrated example, the vaporizerincludes a controller. The controllerincludes a heating element activatorand a liquid level determiner. The heating element activator, the liquid level determiner, and/or, more generally, the controllercan 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 controllermay 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 controlleris disposed in the base portion, but in other examples can be disposed in other portions of the vaporizer(e.g., in the center post). The controlleris electrically coupled to the battery. The controlleris also electrically coupled to the first and second heating elements,by one or more wires and/or electrical connections. In some examples, the first and second heating elements,are separately electrically coupled to the controller. For example, as shown in, the first heating element(and, in particular, the first wire coil) is electrically coupled to the controllerby two wires (shown in dashed lines). Similarly, the second heating element(and, in particular, the second wire coil) is separately electrically coupled to the controllerby two wires (shown in dashed lines) that are separate from the wires of the first heating element. As such, the controllercan independently activate the first or second heating elements,by applying power to the respective wires. In particular, the heating element activatorof the controllercan activate one or both of the first and second heating elements,by controlling or regulating the power (e.g., electrical current) from the batteryto the heating elements,. In some examples, the wires and/or electrical connections can extend along an outside of the center post, along an inside of the center post, and/or be embedded in the center postand extend down the controller.

In some examples, the vaporizerincludes a buttonthat can be activated (e.g., pressed, slid, etc.) by a user to activate the vaporizerand create a vaporized puff of oil (or other substance). In the illustrated example, the buttonis disposed on a side of the body, but in other examples can be disposed in other locations (e.g., on the bottom end). The buttonis electrically coupled to the controller. When a user presses and holds the button, the heating element activatorof the controlleractivates one or both of the heating elements,, thereby vaporizing the oil, and the vapor can flow into the internal passageway. When the user releases the button, the heating element activatorof the controllerdeactivates (e.g., by ceasing the supply of electrical power to) the heating elements,.

In some examples, the heating element activatorof the controlleris configured to activate the first heating elementbut not the second heating elementwhen the amount of oilin the reservoiris above a threshold level, and activate the second heating element but not the first heating elementwhen the amount of oilin the reservoiris below the threshold level. In some examples, the vaporizerincludes a liquid level sensorto monitor the liquid level. In some examples, the liquid level sensoris positioned at or near the threshold level. In some example, the liquid level sensoris in the reservoir. In this example, the liquid level sensoris disposed adjacent the first openings. For example, the liquid level sensorcan be positioned at the same level as the first openingsor just below the first opening. The liquid level sensoris electrically coupled (e.g., via one or more wires and/or connectors) to the controller. As shown in, the reservoiris substantially full or filled with the oil, such that the top of the oilis above the liquid level sensor. If a user presses on the button, the liquid level determinerof the controllerdetermines, based on data (e.g., a signal, a lack of signal) from the liquid level sensor, whether oil is present at or near the liquid level sensor. If oil is sensed at or near the liquid level sensor, this is indicative that the level of oilis at or above the liquid level sensor, i.e., at or above the threshold level. Based on the oil level being at or above the threshold level, the heating element activatoractivates the first heating elementbut not the second heating element. For example, in, the heating element activatorof the controllerapplies power to the first wire coilbut not the second wire coil. As such, only the first heating elementheats up and is used to vaporize the oil(as shown by the dotted arrows). Therefore, when the user presses the buttonand the oil level is above the liquid level sensor, only the first heating elementis activated.

After multiple uses (e.g., 25, 50, 75), the oil level begins to drop, as shown in. In, the oil level has dropped below the liquid level sensor. If the user presses on the button, the liquid level determinerdetermines, based on a signal (or lack of signal) from the liquid level sensor, that no oil is detected at the liquid level sensor, which is indicative of the oil level being below the liquid level sensor. In response to determining the oil level is below the liquid level sensor(i.e., not above the threshold level), the controlleractivates the second heating elementbut not the first heating element. For example, the heating element activatorapplies power to the second wire coilbut not the first wire coil. As such, only the second heating elementheats up and is used to vaporize the oil(as shown by the dotted arrows). Therefore, when the user presses the buttonand the oil level is below the liquid level sensor, only the second heating elementis activated. Thus, a new or fresh heating element can be used to vaporize the remaining oil in reservoir.

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 inprovides an additional heating element that can be activated after the first heating element has been used. Therefore, the first heating elementis used to vaporize a first volume or portion of the oil in the reservoir, while the second heating elementis used to vaporizer a second volume or portion of the oilin the reservoir. 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 ofthe vaporizerincludes a buttonto activate the vaporizer. Alternatively, in some examples, the vaporizercan include an airflow sensorthat can be used to automatically activate the vaporizer. The airflow sensoris disposed in the air flow path and can sense when a user is drawing on the vaporizerbased on air flow across the airflow sensor. The airflow sensoris electrically coupled (e.g., via one or more wires and/or electrical connectors) to the controller. If a user starts to draw on the vaporizerand air is drawn through the internal passageway, the airflow sensoroutputs a signal that is detected by the controller, and the controlleractivates one of the heating elements,based on the oil level as disclosed above. Therefore, the controlleractivates one of the first or second heating elements,based on the airflow sensordetecting 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 controllercan be configured to activate the the first and second heating elements,independently or at the same time. Activating both of the heating elements,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,is based on an input or trigger from the user. For example, if the user presses the buttononce and holds the button, the controllerwill activate only one of the heating elements,based on the level of the liquid as disclosed above. However, if the user presses the buttontwice and holds the button, the controllermay activate both of the heating elements,at the same time. Therefore, the user can decide whether to activate one or both of the heating elements,. 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,are separate heating elements. In other examples, one or more portions of the heating elements,can be combined or integrated. For example, in some examples, the ceramic cylinders,may be combined as one continuous ceramic cylinder. In such an example, the separate wire coils,are used to heat the upper or lower sections, respectively, of the ceramic cylinder. In some examples, the wire coils,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 elementand the bottom 5 loops correspond to the second heating element. 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, the circuit device directs power to only the top 5 loops, whereas if the oil level is below the liquid level sensor, 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 ofthe vaporizerhas two heating elements, in other examples the vaporizercan include more than two heating elements, such as three, four, five, etc. heating elements. For example,shows an example in which the vaporizerhas a third heating element, which is disposed below the second heating element. The heating elements,,are independently activatable or operable. Therefore, each of the heating elements,,can be separately activated by the controller. The third heating elementis electrically coupled to the controller, although the wires and/or electrical connectors have been omitted for clarity. The center posthas third openingsfor allowing the oilto pass to and contact the third heating element. The vaporizerofalso includes a second liquid level sensor, which is at or near (e.g., below) the second openings. In this example, if the oil level is above the first liquid level sensor, the controlleractivates only the first heating element(the top heating element). In this example, if the oil level is below the first liquid level sensorand above the second liquid level sensor, the controlleractivates only the second heating element(the middle heating element). In this example, if the oil level is below the second liquid level sensor, the controlleractivates only the third heating element(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 vaporizeris a disposable vaporizer and is meant to be discarded (e.g., thrown away) after the oilis consumed, the batterydies, and/or the vaporizerotherwise becomes inoperable. In other examples, the vaporizermay be configured as a reusable vaporizer. For example, a user may be able to refill the reservoirwith new oil (or other substance), replace the heating elements,, and/or charge the battery.

In some examples, the entire reservoirof the vaporizeris replaceable. For example,shows an example in which the vaporizerincludes a cartridge. The cartridgeincludes the reservoir, the mouthpiece, and the center postwith the first and second heating elements,. The cartridgeis removeably couplable to the base portion. As such, a user can easily discard the cartridgeand replace the cartridgewith a new cartridge. For example, when the cartridgeis empty or near empty, the user can remove and discard the cartridge, and then attach a new cartridge that is full of oil (or other substance).

In the illustrated example, the center posthas a lower base portion, which defines the air inlet openings. A bottomof the reservoir casingis coupled to the lower base portion, such as by friction fit or an adhesive.

In the illustrated example, the lower base portionof the center posthas a first connectorand the base portionhas a second connector. The first connectorcan mate or otherwise couple to the second connector. This enables the cartridgeto be removeably coupled to the base portion. In some examples, the first connectoris a threaded extension with “510” threads, and the second connectoris 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 cartridgecan be screwed into the base portion. In another example, the first and second connectors,can include magnets, or one can include a magnet and the other can include a ferromagnetic material (e.g., iron). Therefore, the cartridgecan be magnetically coupled to the base portion.

In some examples, the first and second connectors,include electrical connectors for forming an electrical connection between the cartridgeand the base portion. As such, when the cartridgeis coupled to the base portion, the heating elements,and the liquid level sensorare electrically coupled to the controller. The controllercan activate the first and/or second heating elements,by applying power from the battery. For example, the first and second connectors,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,and the liquid level sensorto the controller.

In the illustrated example, the controllerremains in the base portionof the vaporizer. This enables the cartridgeto be a relatively inexpensive, disposable cartridge. However, in other examples, the controlleror a portion of the controller(e.g., the heating element activator, the liquid level determiner) can be incorporated into the cartridge. For example, the controller or a portion of the controllercan be disposed in the lower base portionof the center post. When the cartridgeis coupled to the base portion, electrical power is supplied to the controller. The controllercan then operate the first and second heating elements,as disclosed herein.

While an example manner of implementing the controller is illustrated in, one or more of the elements, processes, and/or devices illustrated inmay be combined, divided, re-arranged, omitted, eliminated, and/or implemented in any other way. Further, the heating element activator, the liquid level determiner, and/or, more generally, the example controllerof, 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, the liquid level determiner, and/or, more generally, the example controller, 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 controllerofmay include one or more elements, processes, and/or devices in addition to, or instead of, those illustrated in, 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 controllerofand/or representative of example operations which may be performed by programmable circuitry to implement and/or instantiate the controllerof, is shown in. 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 circuitryshown in the example programmable circuitry platformdiscussed below in connection withand/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, many other methods of implementing the example controllermay 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 ofmay 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.

is a flowchart representative of example machine readable instructions and/or example operationsthat 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 operationsare described in connection with the vaporizationofhaving the first and second heating elements,, but can similarly be implemented in other example vaporizers disclosed herein.

In some examples, the example machine-readable instructions and/or the example operationsofbegin at block, at which the controllerdetermines whether the buttonis activated (e.g., pressed) or the airflow sensordetects airflow (e.g., when a user is drawing on the vaporizer). In some examples, to conserve power, the controlleris off or in a low-power or standby state until the buttonis pressed or the airflow sensordetects airflow. When the buttonis pressed or the airflow sensordetects airflow, the controlleris activated or turned on. For example, the buttonmay be switch that electrically couples the batteryto the controllerto supply power to activate the controller.

At block, the liquid level determinerdetermines the oil level. For example, the liquid level determinermay determine whether the oil level is above a threshold level. For example, the threshold level correspond to the location of the liquid level sensor. The liquid level sensormeasures or detects whether oil is present at the liquid level sensor(i.e., at the threshold level). Based on an output signal (or lack of output signal) from the liquid level sensor, the liquid level determinerdetermines whether the oil level is above the threshold level. If the oil level is at or above the threshold level, the heating element activator, at block, activates the first heating elementonly. However, if the oil level is not at or above the threshold level (i.e., is below the threshold level), the heating element activator, at block, activates the second heating elementonly. The heating element activatoractivates the heating elements,by allowing or regulating power from the batteryto the heating elements,. The heating element activatoractivates the designated heating element,for the entire time the buttonis pressed or the airflow sensordetects airflow. Once the buttonis released or the airflow sensordoes not detect airflow, the heating element activatordeactivates the designated heating element,, and the controllermay turn off or switch to lower-power state. The example process is repeated when the buttonis activated again or the airflow sensordetects airflow.

is a block diagram of an example programmable circuitry platformstructured to execute and/or instantiate the example machine-readable instructions and/or the example operations ofto implement the controllerof. The programmable circuitry platformcan 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 platformof the illustrated example includes programmable circuitry. The programmable circuitryof the illustrated example is hardware. For example, the programmable circuitrycan 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 circuitrymay be implemented by one or more semiconductor based (e.g., silicon based) devices. In this example, the programmable circuitryimplements the heating element activatorand the liquid level determiner.

The programmable circuitryof the illustrated example includes a local memory(e.g., a cache, registers, etc.). The programmable circuitryof the illustrated example is in communication with main memory,, which includes a volatile memoryand a non-volatile memory, by a bus. The volatile memorymay 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 memorymay be implemented by flash memory and/or any other desired type of memory device. Access to the main memory,of the illustrated example is controlled by a memory controller. In some examples, the memory controllermay 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,.

The programmable circuitry platformof the illustrated example also includes interface circuitry. The interface circuitrymay 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 devicesare connected to the interface circuitry. The input device(s)permit(s) a user (e.g., a human user, a machine user, etc.) to enter data and/or commands into the programmable circuitry. The input device(s)include the liquid level sensors,and/or the airflow sensor. Additionally or alternatively, the input device(s)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 devicesare also connected to the interface circuitryof the illustrated example. The output device(s)include the heating elements,,. Additionally or alternatively, the output device(s)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 circuitryof the illustrated example, thus, typically includes a graphics driver card, a graphics driver chip, and/or graphics processor circuitry such as a GPU.