Piezoelectric Droplet Generator for Eye Drop Precision
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current eye drop delivery methods are inefficient, inaccurate, and pose risks due to the need for precise coordination, potential eye damage, and lack of compliance verification, especially for vulnerable populations like children, animals, and elderly individuals.
Innovation Solution
A piezoelectric actuated droplet generating device that produces a controlled stream of droplets with specific sizes and velocities for precise delivery to the eye, minimizing evaporation and entrainment, and incorporating features for alignment and compliance tracking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If gravity-based dropper delivery is used, then the device is simple to manufacture, but the dosing precision and delivery accuracy deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the gravity-based mechanical delivery system with a piezoelectric actuation system that uses electrical signals to control droplet ejection. This substitution enables precise control of droplet size, velocity, and placement while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through the use of standard piezoelectric components and microfluidic structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the delivery parameters from passive gravity-driven flow to active piezoelectric-controlled ejection. By adjusting voltage, frequency, and pulse duration of the piezoelectric actuator, the system can precisely control droplet characteristics including size (nanoliter to microliter range), velocity, and placement accuracy, thereby achieving high dosing precision.
2Device complexity
If the subject must coordinate head tilting or lying down for dropper delivery, then the device structure remains simple, but the ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the gravity-dependent mechanical delivery mechanism with a piezoelectric actuation system that can propel droplets horizontally or at various angles without requiring the subject to tilt their head or change position. This substitution decouples the delivery mechanism from gravitational constraints, greatly simplifying the operating procedure for subjects including children, elderly, and animals.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional eye droppers are used, then the device is simple to manufacture, but the reliability of safe and accurate delivery deteriorates due to risk of eye damage and contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the dropper tip from direct contact with the eye by using a non-contact or minimal-contact piezoelectric droplet ejection system. The droplets are ejected precisely onto the eye surface without the need for a physical dropper tip to approach or touch the eye, thereby eliminating the risk of mechanical damage and bacterial contamination while maintaining manufacturing simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces an air interface as an intermediary between the delivery system and the eye. Instead of direct contact between the dropper tip and eye, droplets are ejected through air onto the eye surface, creating a barrier that prevents contamination and mechanical injury while allowing precise delivery.
4Device complexity
If gravity-based delivery is used, then the device requires minimal components, but the productivity of compliant medication administration deteriorates due to lack of verification
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates feedback mechanisms including sensors that detect droplet ejection, eye presence, and delivery confirmation. The piezoelectric actuator can be controlled by feedback signals to ensure proper droplet delivery, and the system can track and record administration events to verify compliance, thereby improving productivity without excessive complexity.
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
Ensures consistent, accurate, and repeatable dosing with reduced risk of eye damage and improved compliance, as the device delivers a high percentage of droplets directly to the eye surface while minimizing waste and ensuring proper medication administration.
Implementation Method 1
an ejector mechanism including a piezoelectric ejector and an ejector plate, the ejector plate having at least one opening formed therein and the piezoelectric ejector having a distal surface that contacts the plate
Data Source
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Figure 3A~5
Figure 3B
AI summary
A method of delivering safe, suitable, and repeatable dosages to a subject for topical, oral, nasal, or pulmonary use and a device for droplet ejection includes a fluid delivery system capable of delivering a defined volume of the fluid in the form of droplets having properties that afford adequate and repeatable high percentage deposition upon application. The method and device include a housing, a reservoir disposed within the housing for receiving a volume of fluid, an ejector mechanism configured to eject a stream of droplets having an average ejected droplet diameter greater than 15 microns, the stream of droplets having low entrained airflow such that the stream of droplets deposit on the eye of the subject during use.