Inhaler Flow Channel Bend Geometry for Powder Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing inhalation technologies, such as dry powder inhalers, face challenges in ensuring that a sufficient amount of powder material reaches the lungs while minimizing deposition in the mouth and throat, due to factors like air flow velocity and particle size, which can lead to material impact or adherence to channel walls.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that determine the amount of powder material passing a bend in a flow channel by calculating the rate of release and flow velocity, using sensors to monitor gas flow and material entrainment, and adjusting for factors like particle size and flow channel geometry to optimize inhalation flow rates for effective drug delivery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If air flow velocity is increased to prevent material settling in the mouth, then material transport to throat is improved, but material impacts on throat walls and cannot follow air flow toward lungs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by optimizing the air flow velocity to a specific range that prevents material settling while avoiding excessive speed that would cause wall impact. The system dynamically adjusts flow parameters to maintain optimal conditions for material transport through the bent flow channel.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If air flow velocity is decreased to prevent material impact on throat walls, then material can follow air flow smoothly, but material settles in the mouth and does not reach lungs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent maintains air flow velocity within an optimized parameter range that balances two opposing requirements: preventing material settling in the mouth while avoiding material impact on throat walls. This parameter optimization ensures smooth material transport through the bent flow channel without loss.
3Volume of moving object
If flow channel bend radius is decreased to compact device size, then device portability is improved, but material is more likely to impact on bend walls and not pass through
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the bend geometry of the flow channel to reduce material impact. By carefully designing the curvature characteristics of the bend, the system maintains compact device size while ensuring smooth material transport through the bent section without wall impact or material loss.
4Volume of moving object
If flow channel cross sectional area is decreased to reduce device size, then device portability is improved, but material velocity increases and causes impact on walls
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by varying the cross-sectional area at different locations along the flow channel. The bend section has optimized dimensions that differ from other sections, creating local geometric features that reduce material velocity and prevent wall impact while maintaining overall compact device size.
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
This approach ensures a higher percentage of the drug is delivered to the lungs by maintaining the air flow within a 'sweet spot' that prevents material from settling or impacting, thereby improving the efficiency of drug inhalation and minimizing loss.
Implementation Method 1
The material may be made available to a gas flow so that the material is entrained in the gas flow and thus is carried with the gas through the flow channel and thus the bend
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention provides a method for estimating an amount of a powder shaped material passing a bend in a flow channel, such as how much drug from an inhaler reaches the lungs of a person. The estimation is based on both the flow rate of the inhalation as well as the rate of release of the drug into the flow channel, where the rate or release itself depends on the flow.