Disposable Nebulizer Membrane Cleaning Container
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing nebulizer membrane cleaning methods are complex, expensive, and prone to contamination, leading to reduced performance and inconsistent drug dosing due to inadequate cleaning practices by patients.
Innovation Solution
A disposable, single-use container with a pre-packaged cleaning liquid that fits onto the nebulizer, isolating the membrane from the environment and allowing easy, hygienic cleaning without the need for specialized devices, ensuring better patient compliance and membrane performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If specialized cleaning devices with valves and pumps are used to collect cleaning liquid after cleaning, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the complex valve and pump system from the cleaning device, extracting only the essential function of delivering cleaning liquid to the membrane. The simplified design relies on direct flow through the membrane without requiring active collection mechanisms, thereby reducing complexity while maintaining cleaning effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning liquid flows through the membrane and exits passively without requiring active pumping or valving. The system uses the natural flow properties of the liquid and the membrane structure itself to achieve cleaning, eliminating the need for complex mechanical components for liquid collection.
2Ease of operation
If patients manually clean the membrane using general cleaning methods, then ease of operation is improved, but cleaning hygiene and consistency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs disposable cleaning liquid containers that are pre-filled and sealed. Each container is used once and then discarded, ensuring that every patient receives a fresh, sterile supply of cleaning liquid without needing to store or handle reusable cleaning systems, thereby maintaining high hygiene standards while remaining easy to use.
Solution Approach 2:
The cleaning liquid is pre-packaged in sterile containers before use. This preliminary preparation ensures that the cleaning liquid is already hygienic and ready for use, eliminating the need for patients to perform complex cleaning procedures or store cleaning liquids, thus maintaining hygiene while simplifying operation.
3Ease of operation
If the membrane is removed from the nebulizer for cleaning, then accessibility for cleaning is improved, but risk of contamination and loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a cleaning liquid container as an intermediary component that interfaces with the membrane while it remains installed in the nebulizer. The container delivers cleaning liquid directly to the membrane through a controlled interface, enabling cleaning without membrane removal and thereby eliminating contamination risks associated with handling and reinstallation.
4Reliability
If cleaning liquid is supplied to the aerosol side of the membrane, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of supplying cleaning liquid to the feed side of the membrane and collecting it on the aerosol side (which would require complex collection systems), the patent inverts the approach by supplying cleaning liquid directly to the aerosol side where it can flush through the membrane pores and exit on the feed side, achieving effective cleaning with simpler device architecture.
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 solution provides a simple, effective, and hygienic method for cleaning nebulizer membranes, improving dosing precision and maintaining membrane hygiene between treatments, thereby enhancing the reliability of aerosol generation.
Implementation Method 1
The membrane is then vibrated so that the cleaning liquid is conveyed through the pores in the membrane in the reverse direction, thereby cleaning it.
Implementation Method 2
The membrane is then vibrated so that the cleaning liquid is conveyed through the pores in the membrane in the reverse direction
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
The present invention provides a single-use, pre-packaged, sealed container (1) for use with a nebulizer device having an aerosol generator comprising a membrane, the container containing a cleaning liquid (3) and being configured to fit onto the nebulizer device, so that the container is held in place on the nebulizer device and the membrane is immersed in the liquid. The invention also provides a strip comprising a plurality of containers (10), wherein each container is detachable from the rest of the strip; a pack comprising a multi-day supply of a drug and containers; and a method for cleaning the membrane of a nebulizer device using the container.