US 12,220,002 B2
Self-cleaning thermal flow sensor
Matthew J. Taschner, Bend, OR (US); and Maurizio Tarsia, San Carlos, CA (US)
Assigned to JUUL Labs, Inc., Washington, DC (US)
Filed by JUUL Labs, Inc., San Francisco, CA (US)
Filed on Apr. 26, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/729,932.
Application 17/729,932 is a continuation of application No. PCT/US2020/058230, filed on Oct. 30, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/928,957, filed on Oct. 31, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0248770 A1, Aug. 11, 2022
Int. Cl. A24F 40/85 (2020.01); A24F 40/10 (2020.01); A24F 40/46 (2020.01); A24F 40/51 (2020.01); A24F 40/53 (2020.01)
CPC A24F 40/85 (2020.01) [A24F 40/10 (2020.01); A24F 40/46 (2020.01); A24F 40/51 (2020.01); A24F 40/53 (2020.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A vaporizer device comprising:
a thermal flow sensor configured to measure a mass flow rate of the vaporizable material across a surface of the thermal flow sensor, wherein the thermal flow sensor is positioned along an airflow path between a heating element and an outlet of the vaporizer device, the thermal flow sensor comprising:
a self-cleaning element configured to remove a liquid accumulated on the surface of the thermal flow sensor by at least evaporating the liquid, the self-cleaning element activated in response to detecting an event that activates a cleaning cycle of the thermal flow sensor.