Multi-Channel Nebulizing Nozzle for Pirfenidone Aerosol Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current inhalation devices for delivering pirfenidone are limited by their ability to administer only small volumes of aerosolized medication, making them impractical for delivering effective doses of this drug, particularly for conditions like pulmonary fibrosis.
Innovation Solution
The development of an inhalation device with a nozzle featuring at least three ejection channels, which allows for the generation of a larger volume of aerosolized pirfenidone by creating collision points where ejection trajectories intersect, enabling more efficient and flexible dosing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If a single ejection channel nozzle is used, then the device structure is simple, but the aerosol volume delivered is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The nozzle is divided into multiple ejection channels (at least three) that separately deliver liquid streams. Each channel acts as an independent segment that contributes to the total aerosol volume, allowing the system to overcome the volume limitation of a single channel while maintaining manageable structural complexity through modular design.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a single-dimensional ejection path to a multi-dimensional spatial arrangement of multiple ejection channels. The channels are positioned at different angles and orientations to create intersecting trajectories in three-dimensional space, thereby increasing the effective aerosol delivery volume without proportionally increasing device footprint.
2Quantity of substance
If multiple ejection channels are used to increase aerosol volume, then the dosing capacity is improved, but the risk of large droplet formation increases
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the total dose into multiple separate liquid streams from different channels, each stream maintains a controlled size that promotes efficient atomization. The segmentation prevents any single stream from becoming too large, which would otherwise lead to poor atomization and large droplet formation, while the combined output achieves the required total dose volume.
Solution Approach 2:
Multiple atomized streams from different ejection channels are merged in the aerosol plume to achieve the required total dose volume. The merging occurs after individual atomization, ensuring that each component stream has already been properly atomized into fine droplets, and the combination maintains this fine droplet characteristic rather than creating large droplets.
3Productivity
If ejection channels are arranged to create collision points, then aerosol generation efficiency is improved, but the nozzle design complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The ejection channels are arranged in three-dimensional space with specific angular relationships to create collision points. By utilizing spatial dimensions and angular orientations, the design achieves efficient collision-type atomization where liquid streams intersect and collide, dramatically improving aerosol generation efficiency. The geometric arrangement, while complex, follows predictable patterns that facilitate manufacturing.
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 design allows for the administration of larger metered doses of pirfenidone, up to 50 µL or more per actuation, which is more effective for treating conditions like pulmonary fibrosis, while also reducing the risk of large droplet formation and improving aerosol quality.
Implementation Method 1
aerosol generation by impingement of two streams of liquid ejected from a nozzle
Implementation Method 2
a pumping unit for generation of a pressure being sufficiently high for nebulizing
Implementation Method 3
a check valve which blocks in direction of the reservoir(s)
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5~6
AI summary
The invention relates to the field of inhalation methods and inhalation devices for liquids. In particular, the invention relates to an inhalation method using an inhalation device having a nebulizing nozzle (6), and to a method for the generation of an aerosol of an aqueous formulation comprising pirfenidone by means of such inhalation device.