Mist inhaler

Abstract

We provide mist inhalers. [Solution] A mist inhaler (200) for generating a mist containing a therapeutic agent for the user to inhale. The device comprises a mist generator (201) and a driver device (202). The driver device (202) is configured to drive the mist generator (201) at an optimal frequency to maximize the efficiency of mist generation by the mist generator (201).

Claims

1. A mist inhaler device for generating a mist containing cannabinoids for inhalation by a user, the device is It is a mist generating device, A long, slender mist generator housing equipped with an air inlet port and a mist outlet port. A liquid chamber provided within the mist generator housing, containing a liquid to be atomized, wherein the liquid contains cannabinoids. An ultrasonic processing chamber provided within the mist generator housing, A capillary element extending between the liquid chamber and the ultrasonic processing chamber, wherein a first portion of the capillary element is located in the liquid chamber and a second portion of the capillary element is located in the ultrasonic processing chamber. An ultrasonic transducer having an atomizing surface, wherein a portion of the second part of the capillary element overlaps with a portion of the atomizing surface, and when the ultrasonic transducer is driven by an AC drive signal, the atomizing surface vibrates to atomize the liquid carried by the second part of the capillary element, thereby generating a mist containing the atomized liquid and air in the ultrasonic processing chamber, and The mist generator includes an airflow configuration that provides an airflow path between the air inlet port, the ultrasonic processing chamber, and the mist outlet port, such that a user who inhales at the mist outlet port draws air in from the inlet port, passes through the ultrasonic processing chamber, and exits at the mist outlet port, wherein the mist generated in the ultrasonic processing chamber is carried by the air from the mist outlet port and inhaled by the user, and the mist inhaler device further includes, A driver device, Battery, An H-bridge circuit connected to the ultrasonic transducer, the H-bridge circuit is configured to generate an AC drive signal for driving the ultrasonic transducer, A microchip connected to the H-bridge circuit and controlling the H-bridge circuit to generate the AC drive signal, wherein the microchip It is an oscillator, Main clock signal, A first phase clock signal that is high for the first time during the positive half-period of the main clock signal and low during the negative half-period of the main clock signal, and A second phase clock signal which is high again during the negative half-cycle of the main clock signal and low during the positive half-cycle of the main clock signal, wherein the phases of the first phase clock signal and the second phase clock signal are center-aligned. An oscillator configured to generate, A pulse-width modulation (PWM) signal generator subsystem, A delay-locked loop configured to generate a double-frequency clock signal using the first phase clock signal and the second phase clock signal, wherein the double-frequency clock signal has twice the frequency of the main clock signal, the delay-locked loop is configured to control the rising edges of the first phase clock signal and the second phase clock signal to synchronize with the rising edges of the double-frequency clock signal, the delay-locked loop is configured to generate a first phase output signal and a second phase output signal by adjusting the frequency and duty cycle of the first phase clock signal and the second phase clock signal in response to a driver control signal, and the first phase output signal and the second phase output signal are configured to generate an AC drive signal that drives the H-bridge circuit to drive the ultrasonic transducer. A first phase output signal terminal configured to output the first phase output signal to the H-bridge circuit, A second phase output signal terminal configured to output the second phase output signal to the H-bridge circuit, A feedback input terminal configured to receive a feedback signal from the H-bridge circuit, wherein when the H-bridge circuit is driving the ultrasonic transducer with an AC drive signal to atomize the liquid, the feedback signal indicates the parameters of operation of the H-bridge circuit or the AC drive signal. A PWM signal generator subsystem equipped with Analog-to-digital converter (ADC) subsystem, An ADC subsystem comprising a plurality of ADC input terminals configured to receive a plurality of analog signals, wherein one of the plurality of ADC input terminals is connected to the feedback input terminal so that the ADC subsystem receives the feedback signal from the H-bridge circuit, the ADC subsystem is configured to sample the analog signals received by the plurality of ADC input terminals at a sampling frequency proportional to the frequency of the main clock signal, and the ADC subsystem is configured to generate an ADC digital signal using the sampled analog signals. A digital processor subsystem configured to receive the ADC digital signal from the ADC subsystem, process the ADC digital signal, and generate the driver control signal, wherein the digital processor subsystem is configured to transmit the driver control signal to the PWM signal generator subsystem and control the PWM signal generator subsystem, and A digital-to-analog converter (DAC) subsystem, A digital-to-analog converter (DAC) configured to convert a digital control signal generated by the digital processor subsystem into an analog voltage control signal, and to control a voltage regulator circuit that generates a voltage for modulation by the H-bridge circuit, and A digital-to-analog converter (DAC) subsystem comprising a DAC output terminal configured to output an analog voltage control signal for controlling the voltage regulator circuit to generate a predetermined voltage for modulation by the H-bridge circuit for driving the ultrasonic transducer, in response to a feedback signal indicating the operation of the ultrasonic transducer. A microchip is a single unit that includes multiple interconnected embedded components and subsystems. A device further comprising a driver device including the above.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cannabinoid comprises cannabidiol (CBD).

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the microchip is A frequency divider connected to the oscillator and receiving the main clock signal from the oscillator, further comprising a frequency divider configured to divide the main clock signal by a predetermined divisor and output a frequency reference signal to the delay-locked loop.

4. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the delay-locked loop comprises a plurality of delay lines connected from end to end, the sum of the delays of the delay lines equals the period of the main clock signal.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the delay-locked loop is configured to adjust the duty cycle of the first phase clock signal and the second phase clock signal in response to the driver control signal by changing the delay of each delay line within the delay-locked loop.

6. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the feedback input terminal is configured to receive a feedback signal from the H-bridge circuit in the form of a voltage indicating the effective current of the AC drive signal driving the ultrasonic transducer.

7. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the ADC subsystem comprises a plurality of further ADC input terminals configured to receive a feedback signal indicating at least one of the voltage of the battery or the voltage of a battery charger connected to the apparatus.

8. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the microchip further comprises A device comprising a temperature sensor embedded in the microchip, wherein the temperature sensor is configured to generate a temperature signal indicating the temperature of the microchip, the temperature signal is received by a further ADC input terminal of the ADC subsystem, and the temperature signal is sampled by the ADC.

9. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the ADC subsystem is configured to sequentially sample each signal received at the plurality of ADC input terminals a predetermined number of times together with each signal sampled by the ADC subsystem.

10. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the microchip further comprises An apparatus comprising a battery charging subsystem configured to control the charging of the aforementioned battery.

11. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the DAC subsystem is The apparatus comprises a further digital-to-analog converter (DAC) configured to convert further digital control signals generated by the digital processor subsystem into further analog voltage control signals for controlling the voltage regulator circuit.

12. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the apparatus further comprises: A further microchip, wherein the further microchip is First power terminal, Second power terminal, The H-bridge circuit includes a first switch, a second switch, a third switch, and a fourth switch, The first switch and the third switch are connected in series between the first power terminal and the second power terminal. The first output terminal is electrically connected between the first switch and the third switch, and the first output terminal is connected to the first terminal of the ultrasonic transducer. The second switch and the fourth switch are connected in series between the first power terminal and the second power terminal. The H-bridge circuit, wherein the second output terminal is electrically connected between the second switch and the fourth switch, and the second output terminal is connected to the second terminal of the ultrasonic transducer. A first phase terminal configured to receive the first phase output signal from the pulse width modulation (PWM) signal generator subsystem, A second phase terminal configured to receive a second phase output signal from the PWM signal generator subsystem, A digital state machine configured to generate a timing signal based on the first phase output signal and the second phase output signal, output the timing signal to the switches of the H-bridge circuit, and sequentially control the switches on and off so that the H-bridge circuit outputs an AC drive signal for driving the ultrasonic transducer, wherein the sequence includes a free-float period in which the first and second switches are turned off and the third and fourth switches are turned on to dissipate the energy stored by the ultrasonic transducer. It is a current sensor, A first current-sensing resistor connected in series between the first switch and the first power terminal, A first voltage sensor configured to measure the voltage drop across the first current-sensing resistor and provide a first voltage output indicating the current flowing through the first current-sensing resistor, A second current-sensing resistor connected in series between the second switch and the first power terminal, A second voltage sensor configured to measure the voltage drop across the second current-sensing resistor and provide a second voltage output indicating the current flowing through the second current-sensing resistor, and It includes a current sensor output terminal configured to provide an effective output voltage to ground equal to the first voltage output and the second voltage output, The effective output voltage is a current sensor that indicates the effective current flowing through the first switch or the second switch and the current flowing through the ultrasonic transducer connected between the first output terminal and the second output terminal. A device with a further microchip, which is a single unit containing multiple interconnected embedded components and subsystems, including a further microchip.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the H-bridge circuit is configured to output power from 22W to 50W to the ultrasonic transducer connected between the first output terminal and the second output terminal.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12 or claim 13, wherein the further microchip is An apparatus comprising a temperature sensor embedded in the further microchip, the temperature sensor being configured to measure the temperature of the further microchip and to disable at least a portion of the further microchip if the temperature sensor detects that the further microchip is at a temperature exceeding a predetermined threshold.

15. The apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 14, wherein the apparatus further comprises A boost converter circuit configured to raise the voltage of the battery to a boost voltage in response to the analog voltage control signal from the DAC output terminal, the boost converter circuit further comprising a boost converter circuit configured to provide the boost voltage at the first power supply terminal such that the boost voltage is modulated by switching the switch of the H-bridge circuit.

16. The apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein the current sensor is configured to sense a current flowing through the ultrasonic transducer during the free-float period, and the digital state machine is configured to adapt the timing signal to switch on either the first switch or the second switch when the current sensor senses that the current flowing through the ultrasonic transducer during the free-float period is zero.

17. The apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 16, wherein during the setup phase of the operation of the apparatus, the further microchip When the first and second switches are turned off and the third and fourth switches are turned on, the length of time it takes for the current flowing through the ultrasonic transducer to become zero is measured. An apparatus configured to set the length of the free float period to be equal to the length of the measured time.

18. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 17, wherein the apparatus further comprises: A processor for controlling the driver device, and A memory for storing instructions, which, when executed by the processor, is transmitted to the driver device. A. Control the driver device so that the ultrasonic transducer outputs an AC drive signal at a sweep frequency. B. Based on the feedback signal, calculate the active power used by the ultrasonic transducer. C. Control the driver device to modulate the AC drive signal in order to maximize the active power used by the ultrasonic transducer. D. The maximum active power used by the ultrasonic transducer and the sweep frequency of the AC drive signal are recorded and stored in the memory. E. After a predetermined number of repetitions have occurred, steps A-D are repeated the predetermined number of times, with the sweep frequency increasing or decreasing in each repetition, such that the sweep frequency increases or decreases from the start sweep frequency to the end sweep frequency. F. From the records stored in the memory, the optimal frequency of the AC drive signal, which is the sweep frequency of the AC drive signal in which the maximum active power is used by the ultrasonic transducer, is identified. G. Control the driver device to output an AC drive signal to the ultrasonic transducer at the optimal frequency, and drive the ultrasonic transducer to atomize the liquid. A device equipped with memory for storing instructions.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the starting sweep frequency is 2900 kHz and the ending sweep frequency is 3100 kHz.

20. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 19, wherein the driver device is removably attached to the mist generator such that the driver device is separable from the mist generator.

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