Sprayer and inhaler

Abstract

A sprayer includes: a spraying portion having multiple nozzles configured to spray a liquid from the multiple nozzles in a discharge direction; a liquid tank configured to store the liquid to be supplied to the spraying portion; and a housing, holding the spraying portion, to which the liquid tank is detachably attached, wherein the spraying portion includes: multiple liquid chambers respectively communicating with the multiple nozzles; and a vibration plate: having the multiple nozzles; and including a drive source in the vibration plate configured to drive and vibrate the vibration plate, to discharge the liquid in the multiple liquid chambers from the multiple nozzles, respectively.

Description

FN202600269[DESCRIPTION][Title of Invention]SPRAYER AND INHALER[Technical Field]

[0001] The present embodiment relates to a sprayer and an inhaler.[Background Art]

[0002] A sprayer is known that includes a spraying portion that has multiple discharge holes and sprays a liquid, a liquid supply chamber member that supplies the liquid to the spraying portion, and a housing that holds the spraying portion and the liquid supply chamber member. For example, Patent Literature 1 describes an inhaler (nebulizer) provided with a mouth for inhaling a liquid sprayed from a spraying portion of a sprayer. This inhaler is a mesh-type inhaler that atomizes and ejects a liquid through a mesh sheet that is in contact with a vibration face of a vibrating portion.[Summary of Invention][Technical Problem]

[0003] The mesh-type inhaler has advantages such as being small-sized and low-cost and being usable at home, but has the following problems. Spray particles form a spray fluid by vibrating, with one vibration plate (a horn-type vibrator), a mesh sheet that is a thin plate having multiple holes, and therefore variation in spray particle diameter which depends on hole position is large. Accordingly, for example, when a medicinal liquid is included as the liquid, an efficiency of the medicinal liquid deliverable to an intended in-body site to be administered is reduced. This is because a reachable site in a body differs depending on a spray particle diameter. Accordingly, an object of the present embodiment is to reduce variation in spray particle diameter.[Solution to Problem]The present disclosure described herein provides a sprayer includes: a spraying portion having multiple nozzles configured to spray a liquid from the multiple nozzles in a discharge direction; a liquid tank configured to store the liquid to be supplied to the spraying portion; and a housing, holding the spraying portion, to which the liquid tank is detachably attached, wherein the spraying portion includes: multiple liquid chambers respectively communicating with the multiple nozzles; and a vibration plate: having the multiple nozzles; and including a drive source in the vibration plate configured to drive and vibrate the vibration plate, to discharge the liquid in the multiple liquid chambers from the multiple nozzles, respectively.[Advantageous Effects of Invention]

[0005] According to the present embodiment, variation in spray particle diameter can be reduced. [Brief Description of Drawings]FN202600269A more complete appreciation of embodiments of the present disclosure and many of the attendant advantages and features thereof can be readily obtained and understood from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0006] FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an inhaler.FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of an internal structure of the inhaler.FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of a main portion of the inhaler.FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram of the main portion of the inhaler in another state.FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a spraying portion of a nozzle vibration system.FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a nozzle face of the spraying portion. FIG. 7 is an A-A cross-sectional view of FIG. 6.FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a control system.FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a relationship between a number of applied pulses and a droplet volume.FIGS. 10A to 10C are explanatory diagrams of functions of the inhaler.FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram of a main portion of an inhaler according to a modification. FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram of the main portion of the inhaler according to the modification in another state.FIGS. 13A to 13B are diagrams illustrating an example of patterning of a heat generation portion of a heater.FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a sequence of temperature control of the heater.FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a process of forming a wiring layer and a vibration film on a flow channel substrate.FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a process of forming the heater.FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a process of film formation of a first electrode layer, a piezoelectric layer, and a second electrode layer.FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a process of film formation of a first insulating film.FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating a process of forming multiple contacts.FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating a process of forming a lead.FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating a process of film formation of a second insulating film. FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating a process of film formation of a nozzle forming portion. FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating a process of forming a nozzle and a pad opening.FIG. 24 is a diagram illustrating a process of forming a liquid chamber.FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating a modification of the spraying portion.The accompanying drawings are intended to depict embodiments of the present disclosure and should not be interpreted to limit the scope thereof. The accompanying drawings are not toFN202600269be considered as drawn to scale unless explicitly noted. Also, identical or similar reference numerals designate identical or similar components throughout the several views.[Description of Embodiments]

[0007] In describing embodiments illustrated in the drawings, specific terminology is employed for the sake of clarity. However, the disclosure of this specification is not intended to be limited to the specific terminology so selected and it is to be understood that each specific element includes all technical equivalents that have a similar function, operate in a similar manner, and achieve a similar result.Referring now to the drawings, embodiments of the present disclosure are described below. As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.Hereinafter, an example in which the present embodiment is applied to an inhaler for a medicinal liquid will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the inhaler. FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of an internal structure of the inhaler. An inhaler 200 is of a size to be held with one hand, and has an appearance shape that is a vertically elongated rectangular parallelepiped shape. A recess 210 is provided in an upper face portion of an inhaler body 201 (sprayer), and an inhalation mouth member 220 (mouth) for inhalation is detachable from the recess 210 in a lateral direction indicated by arrow A. The inhalation mouth member 220 is a hollow member having openings at an upper end and a lower end, and is a component that allows the sprayed medicinal liquid from the recess 210 to pass through a hollow interior and to be inhaled from the opening at an upper end portion. The inhalation mouth member 220 may be fixedly provided on the inhaler body (sprayer body) instead of being detachable.

[0008] A medicinal liquid tank storing the medicinal liquid is detachable from the inhaler body 201 in a discharge direction indicated by arrow B. A medicinal liquid tank 230 (liquid supply chamber member) corresponds to a liquid supply chamber member in which a liquid supply chamber is formed. The medicinal liquid tank 230 includes, on a distal end side (a downstream side in a body insertion direction), a supply pipe 231 (liquid supply path) having a hollow interior serving as a supply path. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the inhaler body 201 includes a spraying portion 240 such that an upper face of the spraying portion 240 is positioned at a bottom face portion of the recess 210. The spraying portion 240 ejects the medicinal liquid, which is formed into minute droplets, upward from the upper face portion of the spraying portion 240 in a spray form into the recess 210. The medicinal liquid tank 230 is disposed at a mounting position 232 on a lateral side with respect to the spraying portion 240 in a lateral direction perpendicular to a spraying direction (discharge direction) of the liquid and is coupled to the spraying portion 240 by the supply pipe 231.

[0009] Instead of making the medicinal liquid tank 230 detachable from the spraying portion 240 held in the inhaler body 201, the medicinal liquid tank 230 may be fixedly provided on theFN202600269inhaler body 201 in a state in which the medicinal liquid can be supplied to the spraying portion 240, or may be detachable from the inhaler body 201 integrally with the spraying portion 240. The supply pipe 231 may be provided on the spraying portion 240 side instead of being provided on the medicinal liquid tank 230 side.

[0010] The inhaler body 201 further includes an operation display portion 250 (operation unit) on a side face portion. The inhaler 200 according to the present embodiment can switch on or off a spraying function, switch on or off a cleaning function (heating and cleaning) of the spraying portion 240, switch the spray particle diameter, and switch a spray amount, and the operation display portion 250 is used for the switching operation. Power may also be turned on or off with the operation display portion 250.

[0011] FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of the spraying portion 240 and the medicinal liquid tank 230, which are main portions of the inhaler 200, and illustrates a state in which the medicinal liquid tank 230 is full. The spraying portion 240 includes a nozzle plate 110 in which multiple (a large number of) nozzles for discharging the medicinal liquid is formed, a liquid chamber substrate 100 in which liquid chambers (also referred to as individual liquid chambers or pressure liquid chambers) corresponding to the respective nozzles are formed, and a frame member 120 in which a common liquid chamber 3 is formed. The spraying portion 240 has a configuration similar to that of an inkjet-type discharge head used in an image forming apparatus or the like; however, since the liquid to be discharged is the medicinal liquid, the following modifications are made.

[0012] First, in the discharge head used in the image forming apparatus or the like, an adhesive is used to attach the nozzle plate 110 and the liquid chamber substrate 100 manufactured by a semiconductor manufacturing process to the frame member 120. In the spraying portion 240 containing the medicinal liquid, it is undesirable that the adhesive leaches out. The medicinal liquid used in the inhaler 200 has high corrosiveness, and it is assumed that the medicinal liquid may corrode the nozzle plate 110 and the liquid chamber substrate 100, which are metal. Therefore, in manufacturing the spraying portion 240 according to the present embodiment, the metal frame member 120 is attached to the liquid chamber substrate 100 in which the nozzle plate 110 is integrated, by heating and pressurizing without using an adhesive.

[0013] The common liquid chamber 3 of the spraying portion 240 manufactured in this manner is coupled to, and in communication with, a liquid supply chamber 234 of the medicinal liquid tank 230 via the supply pipe 231. A part of a wall of the medicinal liquid tank 230 is a damper 233 made of a flexible film or the like. The medicinal liquid tank 230 is made of resin in order to avoid corrosion caused by the medicinal liquid. A portion for replenishing the liquid (medicinal liquid) is provided at an upper part of the medicinal liquid tank 230 asFN202600269illustrated in the drawing, and the medicinal liquid is replenished from the portion. After the replenishment, the medicinal liquid replenishment portion is sealed.

[0014] FIG. 4 illustrates a state in which the medicinal liquid in the medicinal liquid tank 230 has decreased due to discharge of the medicinal liquid from the nozzles of the nozzle plate 110 of the spraying portion 240. The damper 233 is deformed so as to protrude inward such that the volume of the liquid supply chamber 234 decreases in accordance with the decrease in the medicinal liquid. Similar to the inkjet-type discharge head used in the image forming apparatus or the like, a meniscus of the liquid is formed at each of the nozzles of the nozzle plate 110, the liquid chamber of the liquid chamber substrate 100, the common liquid chamber 3, and the liquid supply chamber 234 are in an airtight state, and a negative pressure is generated at the nozzles. Then, as the damper 233 is deformed with a decrease in the liquid in the liquid supply chamber 234, the negative pressure is maintained at a constant level.

[0015] Since the medicinal liquid filled in the liquid supply chamber 234 of the medicinal liquid tank 230 is sealed and the pressure is controlled, stable spraying of the medicinal liquid is enabled regardless of an orientation during use, that is, at any angle. The inhaler can be used in various states such as a sideways state or a lying state.

[0016] In contrast, in the inhaler of Patent Literature 1, the inhaler is to be tilted such that the medicinal liquid moves from a medicinal liquid storage portion in which the medicinal liquid is accumulated toward a spraying portion, and, even after the medicinal liquid is supplied between a vibration face and a mesh portion of the spraying portion, the inhaler continues to be kept in a posture such that the medicinal liquid contacts the mesh portion.

[0017] FIGS. 3 and 4 are conceptual diagrams, and the spraying portion 240 is much smaller than the portion illustrated as compared with the medicinal liquid tank 230. For example, as a ratio, the medicinal liquid present in the spraying portion 240 is 0.2 cc to 0.3 cc, whereas the medicinal liquid stored when the medicinal liquid tank is full is 3 cc.

[0018] The spraying portion 240 according to the present embodiment includes, for each of the nozzles serving as discharge holes, a liquid chamber that communicates with the nozzle, a vibration plate portion that discharges the liquid from the nozzle, and a drive source that drives the vibration plate portion. Specifically, the vibration plate portion forms an outer wall portion of the liquid chamber, the discharge holes are formed in the vibration plate portion forming the outer wall portion, and a piezoelectric element as the drive source is provided on the vibration plate portion forming the outer wall portion. A configuration similar to the configuration of the liquid discharge head of a so-called nozzle vibration system used in the image forming apparatus or the like is adopted.FN202600269

[0019] FIGS. 5 to 7 are diagrams schematically illustrating the spraying portion 240 of the nozzle vibration system according to the present embodiment; FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the spraying portion 240; FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically illustrating a nozzle face of the spraying portion 240; and FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 2.

[0020] As described above, the spraying portion 240 includes the nozzle plate 110 in which the multiple (the large number of) nozzles for discharging the medicinal liquid is formed, the liquid chamber substrate 100 in which the liquid chambers (also referred to as individual liquid chambers or pressure liquid chambers) corresponding to the respective nozzles are formed, and the frame member 120 in which the common liquid chamber 3 is formed. The nozzle plate 110 is in a thin-film form and includes multiple nozzles 2 for discharging the liquid, multiple piezoelectric elements 5 as annular electromechanical transducers disposed around the nozzles 2, and a heater 20 serving as a heating mechanism. In the present embodiment, the nozzle plate 110 vibrates and corresponds to a vibration plate.

[0021] The liquid chamber substrate 100 has multiple liquid chambers 4 (also referred to as pressure chambers, individual liquid chambers, and pressurized liquid chambers), each of which communicates with a corresponding one of the multiple nozzles 2. A vibration film 103 in which the nozzles 2 are formed is provided on one face of the liquid chambers 4, and openings 4a of the liquid chambers are disposed on a side opposite to the one face. The nozzle plate 110 and the liquid chamber substrate 100 are subjected to film formation and processing by semiconductor manufacturing technology, and the liquid chambers 4, the nozzles 2, the piezoelectric elements 5, and the heater 20 are densely mounted at a semiconductor wafer level.

[0022] The liquid chamber substrate 100 is an SOI (Silicon on Insulator) substrate, and has a drive circuit and a wiring layer 102 on a side on which the vibration film 103 is formed. The drive circuit includes a transistor and a resistor. The wiring layer 102 includes a wiring for applying a drive waveform to a first electrode 51 and a wiring for applying the drive waveform to a second electrode 53. The wiring layer 102 further includes a wiring for applying a voltage to a heat generation portion 21 of the heater 20 and a wiring for applying a voltage to a temperature sensor 22 for sensing the temperature of the heater 20.

[0023] By forming the drive circuit in the liquid chamber substrate 100, a process of mounting the drive circuit using another substrate can be omitted, and the area of an external connection portion can be reduced, which leads to the downsizing of the liquid discharge head 1.Alternatively, when the drive circuit is not incorporated in the liquid chamber substrate 100 and an opening is provided in the nozzle plate 110 to perform drive control from outside, theFN202600269liquid chamber substrate 100 may be an SI substrate, and the wiring layer 102 may also be omitted.

[0024] The nozzle plate 110 includes a nozzle forming portion 111 (nozzle forming film). The multiple nozzles 2 are formed in the nozzle forming portion 111, and the piezoelectric element 5 is covered with the nozzle forming portion 111. A liquid-repellent film may be formed on a nozzle face of the nozzle forming portion 111. When liquid is consecutively discharged, a mist generated simultaneously with the discharge of the liquid adheres to the nozzle face. When a large amount of this mist adheres to the nozzle face, the liquid discharged from the nozzles 2 may be affected by the liquid adhered to the nozzle face. The liquid-repellent film on the nozzle face prevents liquid from adhering to the nozzle face. Thus, liquid discharged from the nozzle 2 can be prevented from being affected by liquid adhering to the nozzle face.

[0025] The piezoelectric element 5 of the nozzle plate 110 includes the first electrode 51, a piezoelectric body 52, and the second electrode 53. The first electrode 51 may be referred to as a lower electrode, and the second electrode 53 may be referred to as an upper electrode. The piezoelectric element 5 is covered with a first insulating film 8a. The first insulating film 8a is formed with a hole-shaped third contact 7c for making an electrical connection to the first electrode 51 and a hole-shaped fourth contact 7d for making an electrical connection to the second electrode 53.

[0026] In addition, a first lead 9a that electrically connects the first electrode 51 of the piezoelectric element 5 and the wiring layer 102 of the liquid chamber substrate 100, and a second lead 9b that electrically connects the second electrode 53 of the piezoelectric element 5 and the wiring layer 102 of the liquid chamber substrate 100 are formed in the first insulating film 8a.

[0027] The first lead 9a is electrically connected to the first electrode 51 through the third contact 7c and to the wiring layer 102 through a first contact 7a. The second lead 9b is electrically connected to the second electrode 53 through the fourth contact 7d and to the wiring layer 102 through a second contact 7b. The first lead 9a and the second lead 9b are covered with a second insulating film 8b. In the present embodiment, the second insulating film 8b also covers the piezoelectric element 5 and prevents moisture that has entered the nozzle forming portion 111 made of resin from reaching the piezoelectric element 5 to protect the piezoelectric element 5.

[0028] The first electrode 51 and the second electrode 53 may be provided with respective lead portions, and directly and electrically connected to the wiring layer 102 through contacts opened in the vibration film. In addition, an adhesion enhancement film for enhancing theFN202600269adhesiveness to the nozzle forming portion 111 may be formed on the second insulating film 8b.

[0029] The heater 20 is disposed between the vibration film 103 and the piezoelectric element 5, and includes the heat generation portion 21, the temperature sensor 22, and an insulating film 23. Examples of material for the heat generation portion 21 include molybdenum (Mo) and platinum (Pt). By using Mo or Pt as the heat generation portion 21, efficient heating can be performed with high resistivity.

[0030] An outer end portion of the heat generation portion 21 (a position farthest from the nozzle) is located at substantially the same position as an outer end portion of the first electrode 51 having the largest area in the piezoelectric element 5, and a heat generation area of the heater 20 is a maximum area of the piezoelectric element 5 (= an area of the first electrode) and corresponds to a cross-sectional area of the liquid chamber 4 perpendicular to a liquid discharge direction of the liquid chamber 4. Accordingly, the liquid in the liquid chamber 4 can be evenly heated.

[0031] Further, when the temperature sensor 22 is formed of Pt, the heat generation portion 21 and the temperature sensor 22 can be formed on the same face (i.e., in the same layer of the nozzle plate 110) at the same time by using Pt as the material for the heat generation portion 21. By using Pt as the temperature sensor 22, a temperature can be detected by using a positive temperature coefficient of Pt. Thus, the heater 20 can be feedback-controlled based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 22, and the temperature can be precisely controlled. The heater 20 has a thickness of 1 pm and is formed by a thin film formation process.

[0032] The heater 20 may also be provided in partition walls that partition the liquid chambers 4 of the liquid chamber substrate 100. Accordingly, as compared with a configuration in which the heater is provided only in the nozzle plate 110, the liquid in the liquid chambers can be favorably maintained at or above a desired temperature.

[0033] In the spraying portion 240 of the present embodiment, the heater 20 is used when a heatingcleaning function of the spraying portion 240 is performed. The liquid in the liquid chambers 4 is heated to a desired temperature (for example, 100°C (boiling point)) by the heater 20 provided in the nozzle plate 110. This heating and cleaning will be described in detail later.

[0034] FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware configuration of a control system of the inhaler 200. The inhaler 200 includes, in addition to the spraying portion 240,FN202600269a controller 600 and the operation display portion 250, and the spraying portion 240, the controller 600, and the operation display portion 250 are interconnected via a bus line 740.

[0035] The spraying portion 240 includes the piezoelectric elements 5 each being an electromechanical transducer that serves as an actuator corresponding to each nozzle, and a head driver 24 that drives a temperature adjustment unit 25 of the heat generation portion 21. The head driver 24 generates a drive waveform that causes each piezoelectric element to deform in accordance with a control signal related to discharge input from the controller 600. In liquid discharge head 1, when the drive waveform is input to each piezoelectric element of the nozzle rows, the liquid in the pressure chamber communicating with the nozzle 2 is pressurized (i.e., an energy for discharging liquid is applied) to discharge liquid such as ink from the corresponding nozzle 2.

[0036] In addition, the head driver 24 provides, to the temperature adjustment unit 25, an instruction to turn on or off operation of the heat generation portion 21 or a target value for temperature adjustment during operation in accordance with a control signal regarding the heat generation portion 21 input from the controller 600. The temperature sensor 22 is also coupled to the temperature adjustment unit 25. Temperature adjustment by the temperature adjustment unit 25 will be described later.

[0037] The controller 600 includes a central processing unit (CPU) 610, a storage unit 620, a random-access memory (RAM) 630, and a read-only memory (ROM) 640. The CPU 610 loads various control programs and settings stored in the ROM 640 into the RAM 630 to execute the programs to perform various arithmetic processing. The CPU 610 controls overall operation of the inhaler 200. Information used for the CPU 610 for control is stored in the storage unit 620.

[0038] The operation display portion 250 includes a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display, and an input device such as operation keys and a touch panel disposed to overlap a screen of the display device. The operation display portion 250 causes various information to be displayed on the display device, and supplies, to the controller 600, an operation signal corresponding to an input operation of a user on the input device. The input operation includes, for example, as described above, switching on or off the spraying function, switching on or off the cleaning function (heating and cleaning) of the spraying portion 240, switching the spray particle diameter, and switching the spray amount.

[0039] The bus line 740 is a path through which signals are transmitted and received between the controller 600 and other components. A battery and the like for supplying power to the above hardware are also incorporated in the inhaler body 201.

[0040] FN202600269Since the inhaler 200 of the present embodiment adopts the nozzle vibration system (nozzle vibration type), among various liquid discharge systems adopted in an image forming apparatus or the like, as the liquid discharge system of the spraying portion 240, the inhaler 200 can exhibit unprecedented performance.

[0041] The nozzle vibration system is known, for example, as an inkjet-type discharge device of an image forming apparatus, as described in Patent Literature 2. The drive source (piezoelectric element 5) is disposed in the nozzle plate 110, and a liquid discharge mechanism that discharges the liquid by drive of the drive source is provided, and multi -waveform drive can be performed. The multi -waveform drive discharges the liquid in the liquid chamber 4 from the nozzles 2 to output, from each nozzle 2, multiple droplets (multi-drop). A dropletvariable system (a droplet-variable system using multi -drop) in which a number of droplets is varied depending on a number of signals generated by a drive signal applied to the drive source is used to control a droplet amount to be output.

[0042] The drive signal for the piezoelectric element 5 is, for example, a drive signal in which multiple unit pulses are continuous. The droplet amount to be output can be varied depending on the number of unit pulses. The "unit pulse" has the same start potential and end potential, and is a pulse that forms one droplet. In addition, a waveform of the unit pulse is referred to as "unit waveform".

[0043] In a nozzle plate vibration system, as compared with the liquid discharge head in which the nozzle and the vibration plate are disposed apart from each other, such as a configuration in which the vibration plate is disposed on a wall portion of the liquid chamber on an opposite side from the nozzle, the multi -waveform drive is easily performed by repetition of a simple waveform. This is because, when driving at a resonance frequency of the liquid chamber 4, tailing of a droplet is small, and thus it is possible to apply multiple pulses with repetition in a short cycle. Then, by repeatedly applying multiple pulses, a displacement amount of the vibration plate gradually increases, and a droplet velocity becomes faster for each repetition, so that a droplet discharged later catches up with a droplet output earlier and the droplets merge to become one droplet.

[0044] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a relationship between a number of pulses and a droplet volume when unit pulses are continuously applied. In the upper graph of FIG. 9, the horizontal axis represents the number of pulses, and the vertical axis represents the droplet volume (picoliters (pL)). The drive signal including three pulses is illustrated in the lower left of FIG. 9, and the drive signal including about ten pulses is illustrated in the lower right of FIG. 9, which are associated with plots in the upper graph by dashed arrows. FIG. 9 illustrates the volume of the liquid droplets output from the nozzle driven by the unit pulses having the same waveform and the same applied voltage. The droplet volume linearlyFN202600269increases with an increase in the number of pulses. As the droplet volume increases, the particle diameter also increases, and thus the particle diameter can be varied.

[0045] In addition to, or instead of, the number of pulses, it is also possible to change the droplet volume by varying an applied voltage for each unit pulse. It is also possible to generate a drive signal such that a desired droplet volume is obtained by combining different waveforms and different applied voltages.

[0046] By skillfully utilizing, for spraying by the inhaler, discharge characteristics by the nozzle plate vibration system as described above, it is possible to adjust the particle diameter and the droplet amount of droplets of the medicinal liquid contained in the spray to desired values. In the present embodiment, a user can switch the particle diameter by using the operation display portion 250 such that the particle diameter of the medicinal liquid to be sprayed is within a range from 1 pm to 100 pm.

[0047] FIGS. 10A to 10C are explanatory diagrams of functions of the inhaler 200. In the inhaler 200 of the present embodiment, first, as in a procedure illustrated in FIG. 10A, the medicinal liquid tank 230 filled with the medicinal liquid introduced from a medicinal liquid ampule is prepared, and the medicinal liquid tank 230 is coupled to the spraying portion 240 held in the inhaler body 201, so that the medicinal liquid is introduced under pressure into the spraying portion 240.

[0048] The inhaler 200 includes a medicinal liquid inhalation function illustrated in FIG. 10B and a spraying portion cleaning function illustrated in FIG. 10C, and each function can be switched on or off. In the medicinal liquid inhalation function illustrated in FIG. 10B, a user selects a medicinal liquid type, an inhalation speed, and the like by using the operation display portion 250 serving as a function switching portion. In response to this, the inhaler 200 automatically selects (sets) a spray particle diameter and a number of drive nozzles.

[0049] Specifically, information indicating a correspondence relationship between selection information, such as a medicinal liquid type and an inhalation speed, selected by the user, and a drive signal generated by the head driver 24 is stored in the ROM 640 (see FIG. 8). The controller 600 sends, to the head driver 24, a control signal including information on a corresponding spray particle diameter and the number of drive nozzles based on information on the correspondence relationship stored in the ROM 640 in accordance with selection information by the user from the operation display portion 250.

[0050] Then, the head driver 24 provides, to the piezoelectric element 5, the drive signal in accordance with the control signal from the controller 600 to start spraying.

[0051] FN202600269The spraying portion cleaning function illustrated in FIG. IOC is a function of heating and sterilizing the nozzle 2 and the nozzle plate 110 with a cleaning liquid by using the heater 20 provided around the nozzle 2 of the spraying portion 240. Prevention of clogging by cleaning the nozzle 2 is also intended. A cleaning liquid tank with a damper, having the same specifications as the medicinal liquid tank, is prepared, and the cleaning liquid is introduced into the cleaning liquid tank. The cleaning liquid tank filled with the cleaning liquid is coupled to the spraying portion 240 in the inhaler body 201 from which the medicinal liquid tank 230 has been removed, so that the cleaning liquid is introduced under pressure into the spraying portion 240.

[0052] Then, when the user selects the spraying portion cleaning function by using the operation display portion 250, the inhaler 200, in response to this, automatically drives the heater 20 to perform an ejection operation while heating around the nozzle 2, thereby automatically starting cleaning of the spraying portion.

[0053] Drive information corresponding to drive conditions of the piezoelectric element and heating conditions of the heater 20 suitable for spraying and heating in the spraying portion cleaning function is stored in the ROM 640 (see FIG. 8). Based on the information stored in the ROM 640, the controller 600 sends, to the head driver 24, a control signal including information on the corresponding spray particle diameter and the number of drive nozzles, and also sends, to the head driver 24, a control signal for heating.

[0054] Then, the head driver 24 provides, to the piezoelectric element 5 and the temperature adjustment unit 25, drive signals in accordance with the control signals from the controller 600 to start spraying and heating. For example, when an end condition for spraying portion cleaning, such as elapse of a predetermined time, is satisfied, spraying and heating are stopped. The spraying operation may be ended alone earlier, and heating may be ended after continuing for a predetermined time. In any case, heating and drying around the nozzle 2 are enabled.

[0055] A heating temperature in the spraying portion cleaning function is, for example, 100°C (boiling point). Adverse thermal effects on the configuration around the nozzle 2 due to heating are small. This is because the heater 20 is provided around the nozzle 2 and heats only the nozzle 2, and does not heat the entire nozzle plate 110. As described later, the heater 20 can have a shape such that the heater 20 is circular around the nozzle 2 with the nozzle 2 as a center. According to this, each of the nozzles 2 can be heated evenly, and variation in heating among the nozzles 2 can be eliminated. Once variation in heating among the nozzles 2 occurs, variation such as generation of a portion that cannot be sterilized may occur.This can be prevented.FN202600269

[0056] In the inhaler of Patent Literature 1, the mesh is cleaned by being removed and washed with a disinfectant solution, or is disposable. In contrast, the inhaler 200 of the present embodiment automatically cleans and sterilizes the nozzles by heating the spraying portion 240, thereby eliminating a need to replace a nozzle portion. Moreover, heating, sterilization, and cleaning can be performed without removing the spraying portion 240 from the inhaler body 201. Accordingly, the inhaler 200 can be automatically cleaned, and long-term use is possible without cleaning work.

[0057] FIG. 11 is a conceptual diagram of a main part of an inhaler according to a modification. FIG. 12 illustrates a state in which the medicinal liquid in the medicinal liquid tank 230 has decreased due to discharge of the medicinal liquid from the nozzles of the nozzle plate 110 of the spraying portion 240. In this modification, a spring 235 is attached to the damper 233 of the medicinal liquid tank 230.

[0058] The damper 233 is for maintaining the medicinal liquid tank 230 at a constant negative pressure from a state of the medicinal liquid tank 230 (a state in FIG. 11) to a state in FIG. 12, and further until an inside of the medicinal liquid tank 230 becomes empty. Since it is possible that a constant negative pressure may not be achieved only by specifying a material of the flexible film that forms the damper 233, the spring 235 is attached to the damper 233 so that a constant negative pressure is maintained by atmospheric pressure and a force of the spring even when the amount of ink decreases.

[0059] In a general inkjet ink tank for an image forming apparatus, a face tension is 50 mN / m or less, and thus, a pressure in an ink chamber is to be maintained at a negative pressure, and a sealed ink chamber is maintained at a certain negative pressure by a force of a spring. The structure follows this. FIG. 12 illustrates a medicinal liquid replenishment portion 236 of the medicinal liquid tank 230. The medicinal liquid replenishment portion 236 is sealed with a plug member or the like after replenishing the medicinal liquid into the medicinal liquid tank 230 in a state where the medicinal liquid tank 230 is a single unit.

[0060] In the examples illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4, 11, and 12, the medicinal liquid tank 230 is located beside the spraying portion 240 (on the lateral side in the direction perpendicular to the spraying direction of the liquid). This arrangement, unlike an arrangement in which the medicinal liquid tank 230 is located on a side opposite to spraying of the medicinal liquid (a lower side) with respect to the spraying portion 240, has an advantage of not wasting the medicinal liquid, which is more expensive than ink or the like and is the liquid for the image forming apparatus. This is because, when the medicinal liquid tank 230 is located beside the spraying portion 240, a liquid flow path connecting the two can be made relatively short, andFN202600269an amount of the medicinal liquid that adheres to and remains on a wall face of the liquid flow path can also be reduced.

[0061] In addition, in the case of the arrangement in which the medicinal liquid tank 230 is located on the side opposite to spraying of the medicinal liquid (the lower side) with respect to the spraying portion 240, the spraying portion 240 is to be removed when replacing the medicinal liquid tank 230 with a new one, and work efficiency decreases. Therefore, in the present embodiment, by disposing the medicinal liquid tank 230 beside the spraying portion 240 (on the lateral side in the direction perpendicular to the spraying direction of the liquid), it is possible to replace the medicinal liquid tank 230 without removing the spraying portion 240, and it is possible to prevent a decrease in work efficiency.

[0062] In the present embodiment, various patterning can be adopted for patterning of the heat generation portion 21 of the heater 20. FIGS. 13A to 13B are diagrams illustrating an example of patterning of the heat generation portion 21 of the heater 20. In the present embodiment, in FIG. 13 A, the heat generation portion 21 is patterned in a spiral shape.Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 13B, an entire portion of the heater 20 corresponding to the liquid chamber 4 may be used as the heat generation portion. In the configuration illustrated in FIG. 13 A, heating efficiency is lower than that in the configuration illustrated in FIG. 13B; however, as compared with FIG. 13B, a thickness of the vibration film can be partially reduced, and a displacement amount of the vibration film can be increased.

[0063] On the other hand, as illustrated in FIG. 13B, by using the entire portion of the heater 20 corresponding to the liquid chamber 4 as the heat generation portion, heating efficiency can be increased as compared with the spiral patterning in FIG. 13 A. The temperature sensor 22 is provided on a nozzle side with respect to the heat generation portion 21 and is patterned in an annular shape, as illustrated in FIGS. 13A and 13B.

[0064] In addition, a configuration may be adopted in which multiple annular heat generation portions 21 is provided concentrically. In addition, the multiple heat generation portions may be individually controlled; for example, only the heat generation portion 21 in the vicinity of the nozzle 2 may generate heat during head cleaning so that the liquid adhered in the vicinity of the nozzle can be heated to a desired temperature.

[0065] FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of a sequence of temperature control of the heater 20. As illustrated in FIG. 14, an output value (current value) corresponding to a temperature of the liquid in the liquid chamber 4 (the nozzle 2), which is a control target, is input, as an observed value, to an input unit 25c of the temperature adjustment unit 25 by the temperature sensor 22. Based on the observed value of the temperature sensor 22 input to the input unitFN20260026925c, the temperature of the liquid in the liquid chamber 4 (the nozzle 2) is detected, and the detected temperature is compared with a target temperature by a comparison unit 25d.

[0066] Then, the difference value between the target temperature and the detected temperature is calculated by the comparison unit 25d, and the difference value is output to an adjustment unit 25a. The adjustment unit 25a sets a power value (operation amount) to be input to the heat generation portion 21 as an operation unit by proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control. Then, a power value as a set operation amount is input to the heat generation portion 21, and the liquid in the liquid chamber 4, which is the control target, is controlled to a desired temperature.

[0067] The piezoelectric body 52 is heated by the heater 20, and the temperature of the piezoelectric body 52 rises. When heating, sterilization, and cleaning are performed, the liquid in the liquid chamber is to be maintained at approximately a desired temperature, for example, 100°C (boiling point), by the heater 20, and thus a temperature of the heat generation portion 21 of the heater 20 becomes equal to or higher than the desired temperature. As a result, the piezoelectric body 52 of the nozzle plate 110 is also exposed to a high temperature equal to or higher than the desired temperature.

[0068] Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) is common in an electrostrictive material of a piezoelectric body of an inkjet head because of high piezoelectric property. PZT is a ferroelectric substance and has an electric dipole in which the substance is locally divided into a portion having a positive charge and a portion having a negative charge even when an electric field is not applied from the outside. However, the ferroelectric substance such as PZT loses a piezoelectric property by depolarization at a high temperature of 200°C or more, and the piezoelectric body is not displaced.

[0069] For this reason, aluminium nitride (AIN) is used as the electrostrictive material for the piezoelectric body 52. Since the displacement amount of AIN does not change even at a high temperature, the piezoelectric body 52 can be driven well even when exposed to a high temperature of 220°C or more.

[0070] In addition, in the present embodiment, the nozzle vibration system is adopted in which the piezoelectric element 5 is disposed in the nozzle plate 110 and pressure in the liquid chamber 4 is varied by the piezoelectric element 5 of the nozzle plate 110 to discharge the liquid in the liquid chamber from the nozzle. The nozzle vibration system has a feature that a droplet can be ejected with a smaller force as compared with a general unimorph-type piezo head (in which liquid is discharged by vibrating a face opposing a wall portion (nozzle communication wall) having a communication port communicating with the nozzle of the liquid chamber). Accordingly, even when AIN whose displacement amount is smaller than the displacementFN202600269amount of PZT is used as the electrostrictive material of the piezoelectric body 52, the liquid can be favorably discharged.

[0071] In addition, by using AIN having high heat resistance, it is possible to omit a configuration which, for example, thermally insulates the piezoelectric body 52 with a heat insulating material so that the piezoelectric body 52 does not become high in temperature due to the heater 20, and thus it is possible to downsize the apparatus.

[0072] Further, when AIN that has high heat resistance and does not change the displacement amount even at a high temperature is used as the electrostrictive material of the piezoelectric body 52, the heater 20 can be formed in the nozzle plate 110. Accordingly, the liquid in the liquid chamber 4 can be efficiently heated, and the liquid in the liquid chamber can be maintained at or above a desired temperature with a small heater capacity. Thus, the power consumption of the apparatus can be reduced. Further, the heater can be downsized, and the increase in size of the apparatus can be prevented.

[0073] Further, the nozzle plate 110 and the liquid chamber substrate 100 are subjected to film formation and processing by semiconductor manufacturing technology, and the liquid chambers 4, the nozzles 2, the piezoelectric elements 5, and the heater 20 are densely mounted in a thin-film form at a semiconductor wafer level. Accordingly, it is possible to downsize the spraying portion 240 and reduce a heat capacity of the spraying portion 240. Therefore, the liquid in the liquid chamber 4 can be heated more efficiently.

[0074] AIN as the electrostrictive material provides the following advantages. The piezoelectric body 52 in which a crystal orientation is aligned can enhance the piezoelectric property thereof. An orientation control layer may be formed between the vibration film 103 and the first electrode 51 in order to control the crystal orientation. When the electrostrictive material of the piezoelectric body 52 is AIN, a lattice constant of the first electrode 51 made of molybdenum (Mo) can be closer to that of AIN by using AIN as the orientation control layer. As a result, the crystal orientation of the piezoelectric body 52 is aligned to enhance the piezoelectric property.

[0075] Further, AIN including at least one material of scandium, yttrium, titanium, magnesium, hafnium, zirconium, tin, chromium, or boron may be used as the electrostrictive material of the piezoelectric body 52. Specifically, aluminium (Al) in a part of AIN is substituted with at least one of the above materials. Thus, AIN can include at least one of the above materials. AIN as the electrostrictive material in which Al in a part of AIN is substituted with at least one of the above materials can enhance the piezoelectric property. The electrostrictive material for the piezoelectric body 52 is not limited to AIN, and anyFN202600269electrostrictive material that has high heat resistance and does not change the displacement amount even in a high-temperature environment can be used.

[0076] The nozzle plate 110 and the liquid chamber substrate 100 in the spraying portion 240 of the present embodiment can be manufactured by a semiconductor manufacturing process.Specifically, the liquid chambers 4, the nozzles 2, the piezoelectric elements 5, and the heater 20 are subjected to film formation and processing by the semiconductor manufacturing process. According to this, low-cost high-density mounting can be achieved. FIGS. 15 to 24 are explanatory diagrams of processes for manufacturing by the semiconductor manufacturing process, and are cross-sectional views illustrating cross sections perpendicular to an arrangement direction of nozzle holes.

[0077] First, as illustrated in FIG. 15, the drive circuit including transistors, resistors, and the like and the wiring layer 102 are formed in a silicon film of the liquid chamber substrate 100 as an SOI (Silicon on Insulator) substrate. The wiring layer 102 is formed by, for example, a damascene method in which a silicon dioxide (SiO2) film is formed and patterned to form a groove, and the groove is filled with a wiring metal. The wiring metal in the groove is covered with a SiO2 film. The above processes are repeated. Specifically, the wiring metal is planarized by chemical mechanical polishing (CMP), the SiO2 film is formed thereon and patterned again, and these processes are repeated. Accordingly, fine wiring having a three-dimensional structure can be constructed. Thus, the wiring for applying a drive waveform to the first electrode 51 and the wiring for applying the drive waveform to the second electrode 53 are formed. Further, the wiring for applying a voltage to the heat generation portion 21 of the heater 20 and the wiring for applying a voltage to the temperature sensor 22 for sensing the temperature of the heater 20 are formed.

[0078] Next, the vibration film 103 is formed on a face of the liquid chamber substrate 100 on which the wiring layer is formed. The vibration film 103 may be made of a material having at least an electrical insulation property, such as SiCh, silicon nitride (SiN), metallic oxides, and resins. However, in order to increase displacement, a material having a low Young's modulus is desirable, and, in view of a difference in linear expansion coefficient from the liquid chamber substrate 100, SiCh, for which the difference is relatively small, is most desirable as the material of the vibration film 103.

[0079] Subsequently, as illustrated in FIG. 16, the heater 20 is formed on the vibration film 103. A Pt film is formed on the vibration film 103 by a sputtering method and processed by photolithography and etching to form the heat generation portion 21 and the temperature sensor 22 of the heater 20 in a desired pattern. Then, the insulating film 23 is formed to complete the heater 20. The heater 20 may be formed by the damascene method as in the case of the wiring layer 102 described above. Specifically, the SiCh film is formed andFN202600269patterned to form a groove, the groove is filled with Pt, and the groove filled with Pt is covered with SiCh to form the heater 20 on the vibration film 103.

[0080] After that, as illustrated in FIG. 17, a first electrode layer 151, a piezoelectric layer 152, and a second electrode layer 153 are formed over the heater 20. The first electrode layer 151 and the second electrode layer 153 are preferably made of a metal having low electrical resistance and low reactivity, such as platinum (Pt), iridium (Ir), or Mo.

[0081] By using AIN as the electrostrictive material forming the piezoelectric layer 152, the film formation temperature can be set to 450°C or less. When a drive circuit, i.e., a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) circuit, is formed in a portion corresponding to the wiring layer 102, for example, a transistor and a resistor constructing the drive circuit can be prevented from being damaged by heat.

[0082] Film formation of the first electrode layer 151, the piezoelectric layer 152, and the second electrode layer 153 can be performed by a sputtering method or a sol -gel method. Since the sol-gel method has a high film formation temperature, when a drive circuit and a wiring portion are incorporated in the liquid chamber substrate 100, it is desirable to form the film by using the sputtering method.

[0083] After film formation of the first electrode layer 151, the piezoelectric layer 152, and the second electrode layer 153 is performed, the first electrode layer 151, the piezoelectric layer 152, and the second electrode layer 153 are each formed in an appropriate shape to obtain the piezoelectric element 5 including the first electrode 51, the piezoelectric body 52, and the second electrode 53, as illustrated in FIG. 18. The first electrode layer 151, the piezoelectric layer 152, and the second electrode layer 153 are processed by photolithography and etching to obtain the first electrode 51, the piezoelectric body 52, and the second electrode 53 having the desired shapes. The etching includes wet etching and dry etching, but dry etching is preferable in order to prevent corrosion of the first electrode 51, the second electrode 53, and the piezoelectric body 52. After the dry etching, a residue due to the processing of the dry etching is likely to remain. For this reason, a cleaning process may be performed to remove the residue after the first electrode 51, the piezoelectric body 52, and the second electrode 53 are formed.

[0084] After the first electrode 51, the piezoelectric body 52, and the second electrode 53 are formed, the first insulating film 8a is formed as illustrated in FIG. 19. Similarly to the vibration film 103, the first insulating film 8a preferably has the electrical insulation property, a low Young’s modulus, and a linear expansion coefficient close to that of other components.Specifically, SiCh, which is the same material as that of the vibration film 103, is preferable.FN202600269In addition, in order to enhance reliability, very thin metallic oxide may be used as the material for the first insulating film 8a.

[0085] After the first insulating film 8a is formed, as illustrated in FIG. 19, the hole-shaped third contact 7c and fourth contact 7d are formed in the first insulating film 8a by photolithography and etching. In addition, the hole-shaped third contact 7c and fourth contact 7d penetrating the vibration film 103 and the insulating film 23 of the heater 20 are formed.

[0086] Then, as illustrated in FIG. 20, the first lead 9a and the second lead 9b are formed. The material for the first lead 9a and the second lead 9b is typically aluminium (Al) or aluminiumcopper (Al-Cu) alloys, but noble metals may be used for enhancing reliability. By this process, the first lead 9a is electrically connected to the first electrode 51 through the third contact 7c and to the wiring layer 102 through the first contact 7a. The second lead 9b is electrically connected to the second electrode 53 through the fourth contact 7d and to the wiring layer 102 through the second contact 7b.

[0087] Subsequently, as illustrated in FIG. 21, the second insulating film 8b is formed so as to cover the first lead 9a, the second lead 9b, and the piezoelectric element 5. Although SiCh may be used for the second insulating film 8b similarly to the first insulating film 8a, SiN having moisture resistance is preferable, which is common in a protective film for semiconductors, in order to enhance reliability against moisture. By using the second insulating film 8b having two functions of insulation and moisture resistance, the nozzle plate 110 can be made thinner as compared with a case where a moisture-resistant protective film is formed on the second insulating film 8b. As a result of the above processes, the piezoelectric element 5 can be driven.

[0088] Next, as illustrated in FIG. 22, film formation of the nozzle forming portion Ill is performed for nozzle formation. The nozzle forming portion 111 is subjected to film formation by spin coating. The material for the nozzle forming portion Ill is preferably resin that can be applied by spin coating. For example, epoxy resin SU-8 and benzocyclobutene (BCB) are preferable from the viewpoint of chemical resistance.Then, as illustrated in FIG. 23, the nozzle 2 is formed by etching. The nozzle 2 is formed by dry etching.

[0089] Next, as illustrated in FIG. 24, the liquid chamber substrate 100 is processed by Si etching to form multiple round-hole-shaped liquid chambers 4, thereby forming the spraying portion 240.

[0090] FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating a modification of the spraying portion 240. In the spraying portion 240 of this modification, the nozzle plate 110 is configured such that, from the liquidFN202600269chamber 4 side, the vibration film 103, the piezoelectric element 5, and the heater 20 are arranged in this order. In this modification, since the piezoelectric element 5 is formed on the vibration film 103, the vibration film 103 can be favorably vibrated, and the displacement amount of the vibration film 103 can be increased.

[0091] On the other hand, the spraying portion 240 illustrated in FIG. 7 is located closer to the liquid chamber 4 side than the spraying portion 240 of the modification, and thus the liquid in the liquid chamber 4 can be efficiently heated. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce a heat generation amount of the heat generation portion 21, maintain the liquid in the liquid chamber 4 at or above a desired temperature, and reduce power consumption.

[0092] In addition, from the liquid chamber 4 side, the vibration film 103, an inner heater, the piezoelectric element 5, and an outer heater may be arranged in this order, and multiple heaters may be provided in the nozzle plate. For the outer heater, the heat generation portion is provided only on a nozzle-vicinity side, and, during head cleaning, the vicinity of the nozzle is heated by the outer heater to remove a liquid component adhered in the vicinity of the nozzle.

[0093] As described above, the present embodiment provides the following advantages. That is, in the inhaler of Patent Literature 1, the spray particle diameter has a wide range, and efficiency of the medicinal liquid reaching an intended body site is low. In addition, since the particle diameter is determined by a mesh size, the mesh is to be replaced to change the particle diameter. In contrast, in the present embodiment, spray capability can be easily increased as compared with a mesh-type inhaler, and thus, it is also possible to eliminate a disadvantage of the mesh-type inhaler in which spray capability is low and the medicinal liquid that can be used is limited because spraying may not be performed depending on physical properties of the medicinal liquid. In addition, since each spray hole has a drive source, the spray particle diameter can be controlled regardless of the position of the spray hole, and medicinal liquid spraying with a uniform particle diameter can be performed from all the holes regardless of hole positions. Therefore, it is possible to make a spray particle diameter of a nebulizer uniform, adjust the particle diameter in accordance with an in-body site to which the medicinal liquid is to be delivered, and efficiently deliver the medicinal liquid to the site.

[0094] The above-described embodiments are illustrative and do not limit the present disclosure. Thus, numerous additional modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. For example, elements and / or features of different illustrative embodiments may be combined with each other and / or substituted for each other within the scope of the present disclosure.FN202600269The effects in the present embodiment correspond to most favorable effects from the present embodiment. Thus, effects according to the present embodiment are not limited to the effects in the present embodiment.

[0095] The above-described embodiments are one of examples and, for example, the following aspects of the present disclosure can provide the following advantages. Reference signs in parentheses with which constituents are denoted in each aspect indicate the corresponding members. However, the constituents are not limited to these examples of members.

[0096] Aspect 1According to Aspect 1, a sprayer (201) includes: a spraying portion (240) that has multiple discharge holes (2) and is configured to spray liquid; a liquid supply chamber member (230) configured to store liquid for the spraying portion (240); and a housing (201) configured to hold the spraying portion (240) and the liquid supply chamber member (230), the spraying portion (240) having a liquid chamber (4) communicating with each of the discharge holes (2), a vibration plate (110) portion that discharges liquid from each of the discharge holes (2), and a drive source (5) that drives the vibration plate (110) portion for each of the discharge holes (2).According to this, variation in spray particle diameter can be reduced as compared with a mesh-type sprayer.

[0097] Patent Literature 3 describes an apparatus in which droplets generated by an inkjet-type discharge head are stored in a droplet chamber, and the droplets in the droplet chamber are inhaled by human exhalation into a body. However, the publication does not describe a specific configuration of the discharge head.

[0098] Aspect 2According to Aspect 2, in the sprayer (201) of (Aspect 1), the vibration plate (110) portion forms an outer wall portion of the liquid chamber (4), the discharge holes (2) are formed in the vibration plate (110) portion forming the outer wall portion, and a piezoelectric element (5) as the drive source (5) is provided in the vibration plate (110) portion forming the outer wall portion.According to this, the apparatus can be downsized, and portability can be achieved. For example, in an inkjet such as a valve-jet using a valve body, a driving unit is to be provided in another place, and thus, the apparatus may not be made compact and may not be carried. In addition, since the nozzle vibration system is adopted, tailing of a droplet when driving at the resonance frequency of the liquid chamber 4 is small, and thus it is possible to apply multiple pulses with repetition in a short cycle. Therefore, it is easy to adjust the particle diameter and the droplet amount of droplets of the medicinal liquid contained in the spray to desired values.FN202600269

[0099] Aspect 3According to Aspect 3, in the sprayer (201) of (Aspect 1 or Aspect 2), a heating mechanism (20) is provided around each of the discharge holes (2).According to this, the nozzle and the nozzle plate are heated and sterilized by using the heating mechanism.

[0100] Aspect 4According to Aspect 4, in the sprayer (201) of any one of (Aspects 1 to 3), a particle diameter of a droplet discharged from the discharge holes (2) is changeable.According to this, for example, by changing a power waveform for driving the drive source to change the particle diameter and discharging spray having a particle diameter corresponding to an intended in-body position, it is possible for a single unit to allow the medicinal liquid or the like to reach the intended in-body position.

[0101] Aspect 5According to Aspect 5, in the sprayer (201) of any one of (Aspects 1 to 4), a number of the discharge holes (2) driven by the drive source (5) is changeable.According to this, the drive source is provided for each discharge hole, and thus, an amount of liquid such as the medicinal liquid to be sprayed can be adjusted by controlling the number of discharge holes to be driven, and an amount of the medicinal liquid or the like to be inhaled can be controlled by changing the spray amount.

[0102] Aspect 6According to Aspect 6, in the sprayer (201) of any one of (Aspects 1 to 5), the liquid supply chamber member (230) is made of resin.According to this, even when, for example, a medicinal liquid that tends to cause corrosion is used as the liquid to be sprayed, corrosion is less likely to occur.

[0103] Aspect 7According to Aspect 7, in the sprayer (201) of any one of (Aspects 1 to 6), the liquid supply chamber member (230) is disposed on a lateral side with respect to the spraying portion (240) in a direction perpendicular to a spraying direction of liquid and is coupled to the spraying portion (240) by a liquid supply path (231) extending to the lateral side.According to this, the liquid supply path can be made relatively short, and the amount of liquid that adheres to and remains on the inner wall face of the liquid supply path can be reduced.

[0104] Aspect 8FN202600269According to Aspect 8, in the sprayer (201) of any one of (Aspects 1 to 7), the liquid supply chamber member (230) is detachable from the spraying portion (240) held by the housing (201).According to this, the sprayer can be continuously used through replacement of the liquid supply chamber member.

[0105] Aspect 9According to Aspect 9, in the sprayer (201) of any one of (Aspects 1 to 8), a damper (233) is provided in the liquid supply chamber member (230).According to this, negative pressure of liquid in the spraying portion can be controlled, and spraying can be performed at an arbitrary posture angle of the sprayer.

[0106] Aspect 10According to Aspect 10, in the sprayer (201) of any one of (Aspects 1 to 9), a particle diameter of liquid to be sprayed by the spraying portion (240) is from 1 pm to 100 pm.According to this, for example, when the particle diameter is less than 1 pm, the particle diameter of the medicinal liquid (liquid) is too small, and effects of the medicine may not be exhibited. Further, in the first place, the spray amount is too small and a droplet diameter is too small, and it is difficult to manufacture a discharge structure that discharges droplets having such a particle diameter. When the particle diameter exceeds 100 pm, in a case where the liquid to be ejected is a medicinal liquid, the droplets are too large to reach an intended in-body site (and are stopped mostly in a mouth) and do not enter a body. Note that this particle diameter range does not vary depending on a body size, a child or an adult, or an age, but is determined by a body site, and the body site does not vary depending on a body size or the like.

[0107] Aspect 11According to Aspect 11, in the sprayer (201) of any one of (Aspects 1 to 10), at least one switching of switching on or off of a spraying function, switching on or off of a cleaning function of the spraying portion (240), switching of a spray particle diameter, and switching of a spray amount is possible, and an operation unit (250) for performing an operation of the switching is provided in the housing (201).According to this, switching can be performed through an operation of the operation unit.

[0108] Aspect 12According to Aspect 12, an inhaler (200) is provided with a mouth (220) for inhaling liquid sprayed from the spraying portion (240) in the sprayer (201) of any one of (Aspects 1 to 11). The above-described embodiments are illustrative and do not limit the present invention. Thus, numerous additional modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. For example, elements and / or features of different illustrative embodiments mayFN202600269be combined with each other and / or substituted for each other within the scope of the present invention. Any one of the above-described operations may be performed in various other ways, for example, in an order different from the one described above.This patent application is based on and claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No.2025-068153, filed on April 17, 2025, in the Japan Patent Office, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.[Reference Signs List]

[0109] 1: Liquid discharge head2: Nozzle3 : Common liquid chamber4: Liquid chamber4a: Opening5: Piezoelectric element7: Perspective view7a: First contact7b: Second contact7c: Third contact7d: Fourth contact8a: First insulating film8b: Second insulating film9a: First lead9b: Second lead20: Heater21 : Heat generation portion22: Temperature sensor23 : Insulating film24: Head driver25: Temperature adjustment unit25a: Adjustment unit25c: Input unit25d: Comparison unit51 : First electrode52: Piezoelectric body53: Second electrode100: Liquid chamber substrate102: Wiring layer103: Vibration film110: Nozzle plate111: Nozzle forming portionFN202600269120: Frame member151: First electrode layer152: Piezoelectric layer153: Second electrode layer200: Inhaler201: Inhaler body210: Recess220: Inhalation mouth member230: Medicinal liquid tank231 : Supply pipe232: Mounting position233: Damper234: Liquid supply chamber235: Spring236: Medicinal liquid replenishment portion240: Spraying portion250: Operation display portion600: Controller610: CPU620: Storage unit630: RAM640: ROM740: Bus line[Citation List][Patent Literature]

[0110] [PTL 1]Japanese Patent No. 6733442[PTL 2]Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2024-124339 [PTL 3]Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2004-350985

Claims

FN202600269[CLAIMS]1. A sprayer comprising:a spraying portion having multiple nozzles configured to spray a liquid from the multiple nozzles in a discharge direction;a liquid tank configured to store the liquid to be supplied to the spraying portion; and a housing, holding the spraying portion, to which the liquid tank is detachably attached,wherein the spraying portion includes:multiple liquid chambers respectively communicating with the multiple nozzles; and a vibration plate:having the multiple nozzles; andincluding a drive source in the vibration plate configured to drive and vibrate the vibration plate,to discharge the liquid in the multiple liquid chambers from the multiple nozzles, respectively.

2. The sprayer according to claim 1,wherein the vibration plate has:a nozzle face facing outside of the sprayer; andthe vibration plate has the multiple nozzles on the nozzle face, andthe drive source includes multiple piezoelectric elements around the multiple nozzles, respectively, in the vibration plate.

3. The sprayer according to claim 1,wherein the vibration plate includes multiple heaters around the multiple nozzles, respectively, andthe multiple heaters heat the spraying portion to clean the multiple nozzles.

4. The sprayer according to claim 1,wherein the spraying portion changes a particle diameter of the liquid discharged from the multiple nozzles.

5. The sprayer according to claim 2,wherein the multiple piezoelectric elements are selectively driven to change a number of the multiple nozzles that discharge the liquid.

6. The sprayer according to claim 1,wherein the liquid tank is made of resin.

7. The sprayer according to claim 1,FN202600269wherein the liquid tank has a supply pipe to be coupled to the spraying portion, and the liquid tank is attached to the housing in a lateral direction perpendicular to the discharge direction,to couple the supply pipe and the spraying portion.

8. The sprayer according to claim 1,wherein the liquid tank is detachably attached to the housing of the spraying portion in a lateral direction perpendicular to the discharge direction.

9. The sprayer according to claim 1,wherein the liquid tank includes a damper deformed according to a decrease of the liquid in the liquid tank.

10. The sprayer according to claim 1,wherein the spraying portion sprays the liquid having a particle diameter from 1 pm to 100 pm.

11. The sprayer according to claim 1, further comprising:an operation unit on the housing,wherein the operation unit has a display configured to receive input at least one of: switching on or off of a spraying function of the spraying portion;switching on or off of a cleaning function of the spraying portion;switching of a particle diameter of the liquid discharged from the spraying portion; or switching of an amount of the liquid discharged from the spraying portion.

12. An inhaler comprising:the sprayer according to any one of claims 1 to 11; andan inhalation mouth detachably attached to the sprayer,wherein the spraying portion of the sprayer sprays an inhaling liquid from the multiple nozzles toward the inhalation mouth.

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