Ultrasonic Mist Inhalation Pod for Leak-Free Consistent Dosing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electronic vaporising inhalers suffer from liquid leakage, inconsistent dosing, and the risk of inhaling burnt liquid and metal due to high-temperature heating, which affects user experience and device integrity.
Innovation Solution
A mist inhalation pod design featuring a liquid barrier wall, capillary, ultrasonic transducer, and air-tight conduits to atomize therapeutic liquids without heating, ensuring consistent dosing and preventing liquid leakage, using ultrasonic waves to generate a mist for inhalation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If high-temperature metal heating is used to vaporize liquid, then vaporization efficiency is improved, but risk of inhaling burnt liquid and metal increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the thermal field (heating element) with a mechanical field (ultrasonic transducer). The ultrasonic transducer generates high-frequency mechanical vibrations that directly atomize the liquid through cavitation and mechanical stress, eliminating the need for high-temperature heating and thus preventing combustion of liquid and metal.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of liquid atomization from thermal energy (temperature) to mechanical energy (ultrasonic frequency). By operating at ultrasonic frequencies (20-100 kHz), the system achieves efficient liquid breakup without thermal effects, fundamentally altering the energy conversion mechanism from thermal to mechanical.
2Productivity
If conventional heating method is used, then liquid can be vaporized, but burnt smell and taste are produced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces thermal vaporization with mechanical atomization using ultrasonic vibrations. This substitution eliminates the combustion process entirely, preventing the formation of burnt odor and taste while still delivering liquid particles to the user through aerosol generation.
3Quantity of substance
If liquid nicotine reservoir with interior membrane is used, then liquid holding is improved, but liquid leakage occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the interior membrane component from the liquid reservoir system. Instead of relying on a membrane to contain and deliver liquid, the design uses an open reservoir where liquid is delivered through capillary channels and ultrasonic atomization, eliminating the leakage issue inherent in membrane-based systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces capillary channels as an intermediary structure between the reservoir and atomization surface. These channels provide controlled liquid transport through capillary action, replacing the membrane's function while providing more reliable leak-free operation through passive fluid dynamics rather than porous material containment.
4Quantity of substance
If membrane is used to hold liquid nicotine, then liquid containment is improved, but inconsistent dosing occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the membrane from the system, eliminating the source of dosing inconsistency. By using capillary channels with fixed geometry and ultrasonic atomization with controlled power input, the system achieves precise and repeatable dosing without the variability introduced by membrane saturation and flow resistance changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs dynamic ultrasonic atomization where high-frequency vibrations continuously break up liquid into uniform droplets. This dynamic process ensures consistent droplet size distribution and mass delivery rate, unlike static membrane-based systems where flow characteristics change as the membrane saturates or dries out.
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 design prevents liquid leakage, ensures consistent dosing, and avoids inhaling burnt liquid or metal, providing a safer and more reliable inhalation experience.
Implementation Method 1
an ultrasonic transducer positioned between the sonication chamber and the second end wall, the ultrasonic transducer having an atomisation surface adjacent to the sonication chamber and in communication with the sonication chamber
Implementation Method 2
a sonication chamber including the cavity of the fluid flow manifold
Implementation Method 3
a capillary having a first portion at least partly superimposed on the atomisation surface of the ultrasonic transducer and a second portion adjacent to the liquid outlet of the liquid channel, wherein the second portion of the capillary covers at least a portion of the liquid outlet and is configured to conduct the liquid from the liquid outlet to the atomisation surface
Implementation Method 4
a liquid barrier wall positioned within the housing and spaced apart from the first end wall, the liquid barrier wall extending towards the side wall of the housing to form a liquid seal between the liquid barrier wall and the side wall of the housing
Data Source
AI summary
A mist inhaler pod for use with a driver. The pod comprises a housing, a liquid barrier wall positioned within the housing having at least one liquid channel, and a liquid chamber defined by the liquid barrier wall and the housing. The pod further includes a spacer positioned within the housing, and a fluid flow manifold provided within the spacer. A sonication chamber is included within a cavity of the fluid flow manifold. An ultrasonic transducer is in communication with the sonication chamber, and a capillary conducts liquid from the liquid chamber to the sonication chamber. An air inlet conduit forms an air-tight channel for conducting air form an air inlet to the sonication chamber, and a mist outlet conduit conducts mist from the sonication chamber to the mist outlet port.