Mass Output Controlled Vaporizer
A vaporizer device includes a resistive heating element; circuitry configured to control delivery of electrical power to the resistive heating element from a power source; and a controller configured to perform operations including: receiving inputs representative of a power delivery to the resistive heating element, a temperature of the resistive heating element, and/or a flow rate of air past the resistive heating element; predicting, using the received inputs, an amount of evaporation of the vaporizable material at the resistive heating element; and controlling the power delivery to the resistive heating element in response to the predicted amount of evaporation of the vaporizable material, the controlling including increasing or decreasing an instantaneous power delivery to the heating element such that a target aerosol yield is produced. Related devices, systems, methods, and articles are also described.
1 .- 10 . (canceled)
11 . A method comprising:
receiving data characterizing a power delivery to a resistive heating element of a vaporizer device, a temperature of the resistive heating element, and/or a flow rate of air past the resistive heating element;
predicting, using the received data, an amount of evaporation of vaporizable material located at the resistive heating element; and
controlling the power delivery to the resistive heating element in response to the predicted amount of evaporation of the vaporizable material, the controlling including increasing or decreasing an instantaneous power delivery to the heating element such that a target aerosol yield is produced.
12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the received data characterizing the flow rate of air past the resistive heating element is determined by a flow sensor, a pressure sensor, and/or one or more measured characteristics representative of air restriction of the vaporizer device.
13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the target aerosol yield is proportional to the flow rate.
14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the target aerosol yield is a function of the flow rate.
15 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the target aerosol yield comprises a predetermined constant or a user-adjustable parameter.
16 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the user-adjustable parameter comprises a desired output target based on a desired evaporation rate, a desired number of puffs, a particular time period, and/or a daily output target.
17 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the target aerosol yield is adjusted to respond to one or more user behaviors of one or more users and/or one or more vaporizer devices.
18 . The method of claim 11 , wherein controlling the power delivery to the resistive heating element is further in response to an amount of power required to maintain a predefined temperature of the resistive heating element.
19 . The method of claim 11 , wherein controlling the power delivery to the heating element includes selecting the power delivery such that the heating element temperature remains under a predetermined temperature.
20 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the predicting the amount of evaporation includes executing an algorithm using the received data.
21 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the vaporizer device includes a resistive heating element; and circuitry configured to control delivery of electrical power to the resistive heating element from a power source, the resistive heating element configured to provide heat to a vaporizable material to cause vaporization of the vaporizable material into a flowing air stream to form an entrained aerosol.