Rotating Disc Shutter for Bipolar Pneumatic Pulses
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current devices for treating respiratory disorders with fluid pressure pulses are not compact or effective in generating abrupt bipolar pneumatic pulses, which are necessary for reopening airways and sustaining therapeutic effects.
Innovation Solution
A compact pulsating therapeutic inhaler with a linear passage for laminar fluid flow, a patient interface, and a rotating disc shutter with a cutout having a four-cornered perimeter and circumferential arcs, driven by a mover such as an electric motor or turbine, to modulate fluid pressure and generate bipolar pneumatic pulses for treating respiratory disorders.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional air delivery device with fixed disc and rotary disc is used to generate fluid pressure pulses, then the device can provide variable frequency and pressure pulses, but the device is not compact and cannot generate abrupt bipolar pneumatic pulses effectively
Solution Approach 1:
The shutter is segmented into multiple independent elements (first shutter element and second shutter element) that can operate independently to generate different pulse patterns. This segmentation allows the device to produce abrupt bipolar pneumatic pulses through coordinated action of discrete components rather than a single complex mechanism, achieving compact design while maintaining therapeutic effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotating shutter with cutouts creates periodic interruption and release of airflow at predetermined frequencies. The periodic rotation of the shutter disc generates trains of bipolar pneumatic pulses with controlled frequency and timing, enabling the compact device to deliver therapeutic pulse patterns effectively to reopen airways and sustain treatment effects.
2Manufacturing precision
If the shutter uses a simple circular aperture, then the manufacturing is simple, but the fluid pressure pulse profile cannot be precisely controlled
Solution Approach 1:
The shutter incorporates cutouts with asymmetric geometries including straight edges and curved portions, where the arc radius is specifically related to the aperture radius. This asymmetric design creates precise fluid pressure pulse profiles with controlled rise and fall characteristics, achieving abrupt bipolar pulses while maintaining manufacturability through geometric relationships between cutout features and aperture features.
Solution Approach 2:
The shutter design varies geometric parameters of the cutouts (straight edge positions, curved portion radii, cutout widths) to control the timing and profile of airflow interruption. By adjusting these parameters, the device precisely controls fluid pressure pulse characteristics including amplitude, duration, and shape, enabling tailored therapeutic profiles without complex manufacturing processes.
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 inhaler effectively generates bipolar pneumatic pulses with controlled amplitude and tilt, providing therapeutic benefits by reopening airways and assisting breathing, while allowing for variable resistance training and medicament dispensing.
Implementation Method 1
a shutter disposed between the passage and the aperture configured to modulate a fluid pressure within the fluid flow; the shutter comprising a disc having at least one cutout and rotating about an axis parallel to the passage axis
Implementation Method 2
a linear passage having an elongate axis; the linear passage configured to conduct a fluid flow in a laminar manner
Data Source
AI summary
A pulsating therapeutic inhaler generating pneumatic pulses for treating respiratory disorders. The inhaler includes: a linear passage that has an elongate axis and is configured to conduct a fluid flow in a laminar manner; a patient interface fluidly connectable to the patient's respiratory tract having an aperture fluidly connectable to the passage; and a shutter disposed between the passage and the aperture configured to modulate a fluid pressure within the fluid flow. The shutter includes a disc having at least one cutout and rotating about an axis parallel to the passage axis. The cutout has four cornered perimeter thereof with two side portions and two circumferential arcs configured relative to the rotation axis. The side portions are circumferentially anti-symmetrical relative to the aperture.