Breath-Actuated Inhaler Air Inlet with Multi-Planar Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Air inlets in inhalers are prone to being occluded by the patient's hand or finger, leading to airflow blockage and potential malfunction of the breath-actuated mechanism, especially in convenient but vulnerable positions.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates multiple elongate apertures with different openings extending in two planes, creating void spaces when covered by the patient, ensuring airflow continuity by allowing air to flow through even when partially blocked.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If air inlets are provided on the actuator housing at positions convenient for handling, then ease of operation is improved, but the air inlet means become susceptible to being occluded or blocked by the patient during use
Solution Approach 1:
The air inlet means is divided into multiple separate air inlet apertures instead of a single large opening. This segmentation allows air to flow through alternative paths if one aperture is partially blocked, maintaining airflow continuity while keeping the overall inlet structure compact and easy to handle.
Solution Approach 2:
The air inlet apertures are configured to extend in two different planes rather than a single plane. This multi-planar arrangement creates void spaces between the patient's finger and the apertures when the inhaler is held in the palm, allowing air to flow around the finger and through the apertures simultaneously, thus preventing complete blockage while maintaining convenient handling.
2Reliability
If the air inlet means is designed to allow substantial airflow, then the breath-actuated mechanism functions properly, but the air inlets become more vulnerable to complete blockage when covered by the patient's hand
Solution Approach 1:
The air inlet means comprises a plurality of air inlet apertures distributed across multiple planes. This segmentation ensures that even if some apertures are partially blocked by the patient's finger, other apertures remain accessible, maintaining substantial overall airflow required for proper breath-actuated mechanism function.
Solution Approach 2:
By extending apertures in two different planes, the design creates three-dimensional void spaces that allow air to flow around the patient's finger. This multi-planar configuration maintains substantial airflow paths while reducing the effectiveness of finger coverage as a blocking mechanism.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
AI summary
An inhaler (10), such as a breath-actuated metered-dose inhaler, for delivering medicament to a patient. The inhaler (10) comprises a housing for holding the medicament and having an air inlet means (12) and a medicament delivery port which together define an air flow path into which the medicament is dispensed. The air inlet means (12) comprises an array of elongate apertures (24) formed in the housing, the long sides of adjacent apertures (24) facing each other. Each aperture (24) is provided with a respective different opening In an outer surface of the housing. The opening of each aperture (24) extends in two different planes such that, if at least a part of the opening is covered in one of the two different planes during inhalation by the patient, a void space is created between the cover and the aperture (24) so as to provide an air flow path through the void space to the at least one aperture (24).