Breath-Synchronized Aerosol Control for Inhalation Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current inhalation devices lack precise control and monitoring of medicament doses during nebulization, leading to inaccuracies in delivering therapeutic aerosols due to varying device parameters and patient behavior, resulting in inefficiencies and medicament loss.
Innovation Solution
A device for controlling and monitoring aerosol generation during medicament dosing, which includes a power supply module, pressure sensor, data analysis module, and control module that adjusts aerosol production based on patient breathing patterns and device parameters to ensure accurate delivery of a pre-set dose.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If continuous aerosol generation is used without patient breath synchronization, then aerosol production is simple and continuous, but medicament dose accuracy deteriorates due to patient behavior variations and device parameter differences
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses a pressure sensor to detect patient's breath in real-time and feeds this information back to the control module, which adjusts aerosol generation accordingly. This closed-loop feedback mechanism enables accurate dose delivery by synchronizing aerosol production with actual patient inhalation events, resolving the contradiction between dose precision and system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from static continuous aerosol generation to dynamic breath-synchronized generation. The control module dynamically adjusts aerosol production based on real-time pressure sensor data detecting patient inhalation, enabling accurate dosing while maintaining manageable complexity through event-driven operation.
2Loss of energy
If aerosol generation is not synchronized with patient inhalation, then device operation is simple, but medicament loss increases due to exhalation phase waste
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic aerosol generation synchronized with the patient's breath cycle. The control module activates aerosol production only during detected inhalation phases and suspends it during exhalation, creating a periodic on-demand operation pattern that eliminates medicament waste while maintaining operational simplicity through automatic breath-phase detection.
3Manufacturing precision
If wide tolerance ranges for medicament concentration and volume are used, then device adaptability is high, but dosing precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces mechanical/direct dosing methods with electronic control and digital measurement. The control module uses pressure sensor data and programmed algorithms to precisely calculate and deliver the intended dose regardless of variations in medicament concentration or volume, substituting physical precision requirements with computational accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts operational parameters (aerosol generation duration, intensity) based on detected patient breath characteristics and pre-programmed dose requirements. This parameter adaptation enables precise dosing delivery even when starting with wide-tolerance medicament preparations, as the control software compensates for variations through real-time parameter optimization.
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
Enables precise control of aerosol generation and monitoring of medicament delivery, optimizing the use of medicament and reducing losses by synchronizing aerosol production with inhalation phases and adjusting for device and medicament variations, ensuring accurate and efficient therapeutic dosing.
Implementation Method 1
a pressure sensor (4) which port (12) is connected to the signal cable (PS) connecting the inhalation device (A) and the pressure sensor (4)
Implementation Method 2
a nebulizer for generation of an aerosol
Implementation Method 3
which generally are called as inhalers or nebulisers, in the case of devices using compressed air to disperse a medicament dose
Implementation Method 4
a compressor and, when it is of the type without an electronic control of an aerosol production further having pressure lines P1,P2
Data Source
AI summary
The invention refers to a method for controlling and monitoring of the device (A) for generation of the aerosol during metering of a medicament dose by the inhalation method through the device (U) for controlling the aerosol generation and for monitoring the dose, which utilizes any type of the supervised device (A) for generation of the aerosol during metering of the medicament dose by the inhalation method, preferably a pressure nebuliser, ultrasonic inhaler or other similar type inhaler of known operational parameters, wherein during generation of the aerosol while metering of the dose by the supervised device the exceeding of the pressure threshold value in the pressure line, connected to a mouthpiece of the supervised device is read, which means the start of the inspiration phase and the start of the generation of the aerosol by the supervised inhalation device, until the moment of re-exceeding of the threshold pressure value in the pressure line, which is interpreted as an exhalation phase, or a break of breathing, characterized in that the supervised device (A) is combined into a single unit with a device (U) for controlling of the generation of an aerosol and monitoring of the metered dose, which unit is controlled according to the respiratory phases of the inspiration and exhalation, wherein individual calibration of the device (U) is performed for each unit formed in this way, determining for it the individual threshold pressure value for pressure sensor (4), which is recognized as the beginning of the inspiration phase and exhalation phase and the threshold aerosol volume value and the threshold time value of the duration of the aerosol generation, afterwards the generation of the aerosol during metering of the pre-set dose is started, during which, the individual measured instantaneous volumes of the aerosol, used to metering of the dose in each single measuring cycle are recorded and summed at a real time by the controlling and monitoring device (U), as well as the instantaneous aerosol generation times, measured in single measurement cycles are recorded and summed, and the metering of the delivered dose is controlled and monitored, wherein the process of the generation of the aerosol during metering of the dose in the supervised inhalation device (A) is completed at a time when the volume of the generated aerosol used for metering of the dose, which is a sum of the instantaneous volumes measured in single measurement cycles exceeds the threshold value of the aerosol volume described by the volume of the aerosol, in which a dose equal to the pre-set dose is contained and/or when the time used effectively for the generation of the aerosol during metering of the dose, which is the sum of the instantaneous times of the generation of the aerosol, measured in single measurement cycles, exceeds the threshold time value of the generation of the aerosol, determined by the total time required to disperse the pre-set dose. The invention also relates to the control and monitoring device (U) of the supervised device (A) to generate the aerosol during the medicament dose metering.