Active Dry Powder Inhaler Gas Flow Deagglomeration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Dry powder inhalers face challenges in ensuring consistent and efficient delivery of dry powder medicaments due to variability in patient inhalation flow rates, leading to inadequate dose delivery and incomplete powder deagglomeration.
Innovation Solution
A portable active inhaler system with a capsule chamber and piercing needles that use compressed gas to deagglomerate and disperse the powder, featuring multiple gas flow regimes and adjustable outlet configurations to optimize powder release, including a mechanism for creating capsule inlets and outlets to minimize residual powder.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If patient inhalation flow rate is used to deliver dry powder, then device simplicity is maintained, but dose delivery consistency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the passive mechanical system (relying on patient inhalation flow) with an active pneumatic system using a compressed gas reservoir and flow generator. This substitution provides controlled gas flow to deagglomerate powder and ensure consistent dose delivery regardless of patient inhalation variability, while maintaining relative device simplicity through integrated components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the flow parameter from patient-dependent variable flow to controlled compressed gas flow. By using a flow generator that produces consistent gas flow rates and a compressed gas reservoir that provides stable pressure, the system achieves reliable dose delivery while maintaining device simplicity through parameter standardization.
2Device complexity
If patient inhalation flow is relied upon for powder deagglomeration, then device complexity is reduced, but deagglomeration completeness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes the insufficient mechanical force of patient inhalation with the controlled pneumatic force of compressed gas. The flow generator and gas reservoir provide sufficient and consistent gas flow to completely deagglomerate powder particles, achieving manufacturing precision in deagglomeration while keeping the device relatively simple through integrated design.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies pneumatic principles by using compressed gas flow to deagglomerate and disperse powder particles. The compressed gas reservoir and flow generator create controlled gas streams that effectively break up agglomerates and deliver uniform particle sizes, improving deagglomeration completeness without significantly increasing device complexity.
3Reliability
If compressed gas is used to deliver dry powder, then dose delivery consistency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple functions into integrated components: the flow generator serves both to initiate gas flow and to deagglomerate powder, while the compressed gas reservoir provides both pressure source and flow control. This merging reduces the number of separate components, improving dose delivery consistency while limiting the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements multi-functionality where the compressed gas system serves multiple purposes: it drives powder delivery, deagglomerates particles, and controls flow rate. The capsule piercing mechanism also serves dual functions of opening the capsule and initiating powder release. This multi-functionality improves reliability while minimizing device complexity by reducing the number of dedicated components.
4Productivity
If needle penetrates capsule wall to form outlet, then powder release efficiency is improved, but capsule integrity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having the needle pierce the capsule wall in advance of powder delivery. This pre-formed outlet ensures efficient powder release when gas flow is applied, while the piercing is done at a controlled stage before the capsule is fully loaded or sealed, maintaining overall capsule integrity for the delivery process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a needle that creates a standardized outlet geometry through controlled piercing. The needle design ensures a consistent aperture size and shape, reproducing the same outlet configuration with each piercing action. This copying approach improves powder release efficiency while maintaining capsule integrity by using a standardized, controlled piercing method rather than variable manual opening.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system ensures reliable and efficient delivery of dry powder medicaments by controlling gas flow and outlet configurations, reducing residual powder and improving deagglomeration, thereby enhancing the consistency and efficacy of drug delivery.
Implementation Method 1
the moving further along the path forces the portion of the needle against a wall of the capsule from within the interior to form a capsule outlet for the dry powder medicament
Implementation Method 2
A portable active inhaler system with a capsule chamber and piercing needles that use compressed gas to deagglomerate and disperse the powder
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3C
AI summary
A method of flowing a medicament comprising dry powder using gas, including preparing a medicament capsule with designated inflow and outflow apertures, introducing a volume of a gas to within a medicament capsule according to one or more release conditions, and releasing a therapeutically effective amount of said powder using said gas. In some embodiments, the medicament capsule apertures are prepared and/or gas delivered to it so that deagglomeration potentially occurs largely within the energetic flow conditions of the capsule, without significant trapping of residual powder by structures such as aperture edge irregularities.