System and method for measuring payload dosage in a vaporization device

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a vape device configured to determine the dose of a payload delivered to a user during each of a plurality of user inhalations. In a first embodiment, the vape device tracks the energy used to vaporize a portion of the payload during user inhalation to determine the dose. In a second embodiment, the vape device measures the temperature at multiple locations within the air flow chamber during user inhalation to determine the dose. In a third embodiment, the vape device measures the intensity of light that is transmitted through the vaporized payload, reflected off the vaporized payload, or transmitted through a light transmitting medium positioned within the vaporized payload, during user inhalation to determine the dose. In a fourth embodiment, the vape device utilizes hot wire anemometers to determine the mass of the vaporized payload that was delivered to the user during each user inhalation and/or to determine the size and density distribution of the droplets in the vaporized payload and use such distribution to calculate the total mass of the vaporized payload that was delivered to the user during each user inhalation. The disclosed methods may be used independently, or in any combination, in accordance with the invention.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is as follows: 
     
         1 . A vape device for determining a dose of a payload delivered to a user during each of a plurality of user inhalations, comprising:
 a payload reservoir configured to contain a payload to be vaporized;   an air flow chamber that extends between and inlet and an outlet;   a power source configured to generate a power signal during each respective user inhalation;   an atomizer located between the inlet and the outlet of the air flow chamber, wherein the atomizer is configured to receive the power signal and vaporize a portion of the payload to thereby generate a vaporized payload during each respective user inhalation; and   a microcontroller programmed to determine a dose of the vaporized payload for each respective user inhalation based on: (a) determining an amount of energy used to vaporize the portion of the payload during the user inhalation; and (b) determining a partial mass of the payload that is vaporized during the user inhalation based on the amount of energy used to vaporize the portion of the payload during the user inhalation.   
     
     
         2 . The vape device of  claim 1 , further comprising a memory device configured to store information that enables the microcontroller to correlate the amount of energy used to vaporize the portion of the payload during the user inhalation to the partial mass of the payload that is vaporized during the user inhalation. 
     
     
         3 . The vape device of  claim 1 , wherein the vape device comprises a cartridge releasably connected to a control assembly, and wherein the microcontroller is contained within the control assembly. 
     
     
         4 . The vape device of  claim 1 , wherein the vape device comprises a cartridge releasably connected to a control assembly, and wherein the microcontroller is contained within the cartridge. 
     
     
         5 . The vape device of  claim 1 , wherein the power source comprises a battery, and wherein the power signal comprises a direct current or a pulsed direct current. 
     
     
         6 . The vape device of  claim 1 , wherein the microcontroller is programmed to determine the amount of energy used to vaporize the portion of the payload during the user inhalation based on: (a) determining an amount of power provided to the atomizer during the user inhalation; (b) determining a duration of the user inhalation; and (c) determining the amount of energy based on the amount of power provided to the atomizer during the user inhalation and the duration of the user inhalation. 
     
     
         7 . The vape device  claim 1 , wherein the microcontroller is further programmed to: (a) determine an amount of energy used to heat the atomizer to a vaporization temperature during the user inhalation; and (b) adjust the amount of energy used to vaporize the portion of the payload during the user inhalation by subtracting the amount of energy used to heat the atomizer to the vaporization temperature during the user inhalation. 
     
     
         8 . The vape device of  claim 1 , wherein the microcontroller is further programmed to adjust the amount of energy used to vaporize the portion of the payload during the user inhalation to account for one or more of the following operating conditions: a starting temperature of the vape device, a starting temperature of the payload, a temperature of ambient air, a relative humidity of ambient air, a pressure of ambient air, an output voltage of the power source, and a temperature ramp rate of the atomizer. 
     
     
         9 . The vape device of  claim 1 , wherein the microcontroller is further programmed to: (a) determine an air flow rate within the air flow chamber during the user inhalation; and (b) adjust the amount of energy used to vaporize the portion of the payload during the user inhalation to account for the air flow rate. 
     
     
         10 . The vape device of  claim 1 , further comprising a wireless transceiver configured to transmit the dose of the vaporized payload to an external computing device. 
     
     
         11 . The vape device of  claim 1 , wherein transmission of the power signal to the atomizer is disabled when the dose of the vaporized payload reaches a specified dose. 
     
     
         12 . The vape device of  claim 1 , wherein the microcontroller is programmed to determine a remaining amount of the payload in the payload reservoir based on (a) the total amount of the payload and (b) an aggregated amount of the payload that has been vaporized during previous user inhalations. 
     
     
         13 . The vape device of  claim 12 , wherein the microcontroller is programmed to provide a notice when the remaining amount of the payload in the payload reservoir is below a minimum level. 
     
     
         14 . A vape device for determining a dose of a payload delivered to a user during each of a plurality of user inhalations, comprising:
 a payload reservoir configured to contain a payload to be vaporized;   an air flow chamber that extends between and inlet and an outlet;   a power source configured to generate a power signal during each respective user inhalation;   an atomizer located between the inlet and the outlet of the air flow chamber, wherein the atomizer is configured to receive the power signal and vaporize a portion of the payload to thereby generate a vaporized payload during each respective user inhalation; and   a microcontroller programmed to:
 determine a dose of the vaporized payload for each respective user inhalation based on: (a) determining an amount of energy used to vaporize the portion of the payload during the user inhalation based on an amount of power provided to the atomizer during the user inhalation and a duration of the user inhalation; and (b) determining a partial mass of the payload that is vaporized during the user inhalation based on the amount of energy used to vaporize the portion of the payload during the user inhalation; 
 disable transmission of the power signal to the atomizer when the dose of the vaporized payload reaches a specified dose. 
   
     
     
         15 . The vape device  claim 14 , wherein the microcontroller is further programmed to: (a) determine an amount of energy used to heat the atomizer to a vaporization temperature during the user inhalation; and (b) adjust the amount of energy used to vaporize the portion of the payload during the user inhalation by subtracting the amount of energy used to heat the atomizer to the vaporization temperature during the user inhalation. 
     
     
         16 . The vape device of  claim 14 , wherein the microcontroller is further programmed to adjust the amount of energy used to vaporize the portion of the payload during the user inhalation to account for one or more of the following operating conditions: a starting temperature of the vape device, a starting temperature of the payload, a temperature of ambient air, a relative humidity of ambient air, a pressure of ambient air, an output voltage of the power source, and a temperature ramp rate of the atomizer. 
     
     
         17 . The vape device of  claim 14 , wherein the microcontroller is further programmed to: (a) determine an air flow rate within the air flow chamber during the user inhalation; and (b) adjust the amount of energy used to vaporize the portion of the payload during the user inhalation to account for the air flow rate. 
     
     
         18 . A method for determining a dose of a payload delivered to a user of a vape device during each of a plurality of user inhalations, comprising:
 holding a payload to be vaporized;   vaporizing a portion of the payload by transmitting a power signal from a power source to an atomizer located between and inlet and an outlet of an air flow chamber to thereby generate a vaporized payload during each respective user inhalation; and   determining a dose of the vaporized payload for each respective user inhalation based on: (a) determining an amount of energy used to vaporize the portion of the payload during the user inhalation; and (b) determining a partial mass of the payload that is vaporized during the user inhalation based on the amount of energy used to vaporize the portion of the payload during the user inhalation.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising: (a) identifying one or more components within the payload; (b) identifying a relative percentage and a boiling point for each of the components within the payload; and (c) determining a mass of each of the components within the portion of the payload that is vaporized during the user inhalation. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , further comprising determining an optimal vaporization temperature for the payload based on the relative percentage and the boiling point for each of the components within the payload.