Flexible Strip Dry Powder Inhaler with Rotary Spring Drive
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing dry powder inhalers face issues with precision and reproducibility of dosage, risk of overdose due to improper handling, and complexity in design, particularly with individual reservoirs and blister strips, which can lead to incomplete or excessive dose delivery and storage challenges.
Innovation Solution
A dry powder inhaler design featuring an elongated flexible strip with reservoirs, where each actuation advances the strip and opens a reservoir using a needle triggered by inhalation, with a rotary receiving element and coil spring mechanism to ensure precise dosing and secure storage, minimizing the risk of overdose and blockages.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If individual reservoirs are used in each actuation, then dosage precision and reproducibility are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the medication supply into individual sealed reservoirs arranged on a strip, with each reservoir containing a precise pre-measured dose. This segmentation ensures dosage precision while simplifying the device structure by eliminating complex metering mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The reservoirs are pre-filled and sealed with exact doses before use. This preliminary action of pre-dosing eliminates the need for complex real-time metering mechanisms during device operation, thereby improving dosage precision while reducing device complexity.
2Productivity
If dose is loaded into expulsion duct before inhalation, then delivery efficiency is improved, but risk of overdose increases due to improper handling
Solution Approach 1:
The reservoir is sealed and prepared in advance but remains closed until the moment of use. This ensures the dose is ready for immediate delivery without being exposed to improper handling, thus maintaining delivery efficiency while preventing overdose risk from premature loading.
Solution Approach 2:
Each reservoir is a single-use, disposable component that is sealed until activation. This eliminates the risk of overdose from improper handling of reusable components, as each reservoir is used once and then discarded, ensuring safety while maintaining efficient delivery.
3Measurement precision
If strip of blisters is used for individual reservoirs, then dosage precision is improved, but storage space and risk of blockage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The strip of reservoirs is designed to be rolled up and stored within the device housing, with the used portion being progressively unrolled and the spent portion retracted. This nesting approach minimizes storage space while maintaining individual sealed reservoirs for precise dosing.
Solution Approach 2:
The strip storage system is designed to be dynamic, automatically advancing to the next reservoir after each use and retracting the used portion. This dynamic mechanism optimizes storage space utilization and prevents blockages by ensuring continuous movement of the strip through the device.
4Ease of operation
If peeling or peeling off closing layer is used to open reservoirs, then ease of operation is improved, but control of opening forces becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The closing layer is designed to be easily separated from the reservoir body through a simple peeling motion. This extraction of the closing layer provides ease of operation while maintaining control over the opening forces, as the peeling action naturally limits the force applied to prevent damage to the reservoir structure.
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 design ensures precise and reproducible dosing, reduces the risk of overdose, and optimizes storage of used strips, providing a compact, reliable, and safe inhaler with improved efficiency in delivering medication to the lungs while maintaining dose integrity.
Implementation Method 1
a loaded spring (500) acting on the movable tension member (510) to move it, the movement of which rotating the receiving element (50), so that this exerts a pulling force on the elongated strip (20)
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
Device for dispensing fluid product, comprising a body (10), said device further comprising an elongate flexible strip (20) supporting a plurality of reservoirs (21) each containing one dose of fluid or powdered product, reservoir opening means (30) for opening one respective reservoir upon each actuation, first movement means (40) for advancing said flexible strip (20) before and/or during and/or after each actuation, in order to bring a full reservoir to face said reservoir opening means and second movement means for moving a full reservoir (21) against said opening means (30) upon each actuation of the device, the front end (25) of said flexible strip (20), in the direction in which the latter travels, being fixed to a rotary receiver element (50), said receiver element (50) having a peripheral tooth set (51) engaging with a mobile traction member (510), a preloaded spring (500) acting on said mobile traction member (510) to move it, the movement of said mobile traction member (510) causing said receiving element (50) to turn so that said receiving element (50) applies a force of traction on said elongate strip (20).