Dosage inhaler

Abstract

A dosage inhaler includes an active liquid container, which contains a liquid having an active ingredient dissolved therein, and an atomizer by which the liquid is transformed into an aerosol and can be introduced into an aerosol dome, in which there is a baffle plate and to which an inlet tube and an outlet tube are attached, and an electronic control. The atomizer can be intermittently operated by a user and the user command readout is visible to the user. The generation of the amount of aerosol inside, and below, the aerosol dome is able to be separated in time from its eventual inhalation by the user.

Claims

1. A dosage inhaler, comprising: a carrier liquid container configured to contain a carrier liquid; an active liquid container configured to contain an active liquid having an active substance dissolved therein, wherein the active liquid container is configured to extend such that the active liquid container is partially immersed in the carrier liquid when the carrier liquid is contained in the carrier liquid container; an atomizer configured to intermittently generate and transmit oscillations through the carrier liquid to the active liquid to cause at least a portion of the active liquid to become an aerosol; an aerosol receiver providing a chamber configured to receive the aerosol; an exhaust-air tube in fluid communication with the aerosol receiver and configured to allow drops of the aerosol to flow therethrough; a baffle disposed in the aerosol receiver, wherein the baffle is hollow with an open end facing toward the active liquid container to receive the aerosol; and a hollow mount coupled to the baffle, wherein the hollow mount is positioned between the active liquid container and the exhaust-air tube, and the hollow mount includes a plurality of slits that permit fluid communication between the active liquid container and the exhaust-air tube.

2. The dosage inhaler of claim 1, wherein the active liquid container includes a frustoconical portion and a rounded tip.

3. The dosage inhaler of claim 2, wherein in operation of the dosage inhaler, the rounded tip of the active liquid container is immersed in the carrier liquid.

4. The dosage inhaler of claim 1, wherein the atomizer is positioned at a base of the carrier-liquid container.

5. The dosage inhaler of claim 1, further comprising an electronic control configured to control actuation of the atomizer such that generation of the aerosol within and below the aerosol receiver is separated in time from an inhalation of the aerosol.

6. The dosage inhaler of claim 1, further comprising a density sensor configured to measure a density of the aerosol within and below the aerosol receiver and to determine whether a predetermined volume of the aerosol in the aerosol receiver has been attained.

7. The dosage inhaler of claim 6, wherein the atomizer is configured to be activated for a predetermined period of time to generate aerosol, and if the density sensor determines that the predetermined volume of the aerosol in the aerosol receiver has not been attained, the atomizer is configured to be reactivated for an additional predetermined period of time.

8. The dosage inhaler of claim 1, further comprising: an exhalation tube in fluid communication with the aerosol receiver; and a supply-air tube in fluid communication with the exhaust-air tube.

9. The dosage inhaler of claim 8, further comprising: a filter in fluid communication with the exhalation tube.

10. The dosage inhaler of claim 8, further comprising: an exhalation valve positioned at an outlet of the exhalation tube; and an air-supply valve positioned at an outlet of the supply-air tube, wherein in an exhalation stage in which the aerosol is generated, the exhalation valve is in an opened position and the air-supply valve is in a closed position, and wherein in an inhalation stage in which the drops of the aerosol are inhaled by the user, the exhalation valve is in a closed position and the air-supply valve is in an opened position.

11. The dosage inhaler of claim 1, further comprising a user-command output configured to instruct the user on how to breathe to achieve proper dosing, wherein the user-command output is configured to output at least a user-command that instructs the user to inhale and a user-command that instructs the user to exhale.

12. The dosage inhaler of claim 11, wherein the user-command output is further configured to output a user-command that instructs the user to wait in between the user-command that instructs the user to inhale and a subsequent user-command that instructs the user to exhale.

13. The dosage inhaler of claim 11, wherein the user-command output is configured to instruct the user on how to breathe to achieve proper dosing via sounds, symbols on a display, text on a display, speech, optical display elements or a combination thereof.

14. The dosage inhaler of claim 1, further comprising an inhalation piece connected to the exhaust-air tube and configured to assist the user in inhaling drops of the aerosol, wherein the inhalation piece is selected from the group consisting of a mouthpiece, a nose piece, and a face mask.

15. The dosage inhaler of claim 1, wherein the active liquid is contained in the active liquid container.

16. A method for using a dosage inhaler to administer an active substance, the method comprising: filling at least a portion of a carrier liquid container with a carrier liquid; filling at least a portion of an active liquid container with an active liquid having an active substance dissolved therein; immersing at least a portion of the active liquid container in the carrier liquid; activating an atomizer for a predetermined period of time to generate and transmit oscillations through the carrier liquid to the active liquid to cause at least a portion of the active liquid to become an aerosol; and introducing the aerosol into an open end of a hollow baffle disposed in a chamber provided by an aerosol receiver, the open end of the baffle facing toward the active liquid container; and causing aerosol within the open end of the baffle to flow from the baffle and through a plurality of slits in a hollow mount coupled to the baffle.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising: measuring, via a density sensor, a density of the aerosol within and below the aerosol receiver to determine whether a predetermined volume of the aerosol in the aerosol receiver has been attained; and if the predetermined volume of the aerosol in the aerosol receiver has not been attained, repeating the step of activating the atomizer until the predetermined volume of the aerosol in the aerosol receiver has been attained.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising controlling actuation of the atomizer via an electronic control such that generation of the aerosol within and below the aerosol receiver is separated in time from an inhalation of the aerosol.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising: outputting an exhalation command via a user-command output to instruct a user to exhale; and outputting an inhalation command via the user-command output to instruct a user to inhale, wherein the user-command output outputs the exhalation command and the inhalation command via sounds, symbols on a display, text on a display, speech, optical display elements or a combination thereof.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising: measuring, via a density sensor, a density of the aerosol within and below the aerosol receiver to determine whether a predetermined volume of the aerosol in the aerosol receiver has been attained, wherein the inhalation command is only output after the density sensor determines that the predetermined volume of the aerosol in the aerosol receiver has been attained.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising: outputting a subsequent exhalation command via the user-command output to instruct the user to exhale; activating the atomizer for a subsequent predetermined period of time; outputting a subsequent inhalation command via the user-command output to instruct the user to inhale.

Description

(1) Further details and features of the invention are explained below in greater detail with reference to examples. However, they are not intended to limit the invention but only explain it. In schematic view,

(2) FIG. 1 shows an elevation of a dosing inhaler with two mutually offset sectional planes for FIGS. 2 and 3;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a skew projection of a dosing inhaler with a section through the aerosol dome or receiver and exhalation tube in the exhalation phase; and

(4) FIG. 3 shows a skew projection view of a dosing inhaler with a section through the aerosol dome or receiver and exhalation tube in the inhalation phase.

(5) In detail, the figures show:

(6) FIG. 1 shows the elevation of a dosing inhaler according to the invention. The left half shows the aerosol dome 3 with a dotted line. It is dotted because it is covered by the exhaust-air tube 32 and the cupola following it, which is arranged so as to be concentric to the aerosol dome 3.

(7) The exhaust-air tube 32 is also arranged so as to be concentric to the aerosol dome 3. In the elevation of the device in FIG. 1, a mouthpiece 8 that emerges laterally from the exhaust-air tube 32 is visible at the left-hand side. In FIG. 1, it can be followed how inhaled air enters through the opening shown at the top right-hand side, enters the supply-air tube 31 below the user-command output 5, and from there passes via the aerosol dome 3 into the cupola. The air direction is marked by two arrows.

(8) In the exhale state, the air in the mouthpiece 8 moves in the other direction, as marked by a double arrow. The exhaled air can then escape again through the exhalation tube 33. Only a part of the exhalation tube 33 is drawn; the rest is cut-off in the view. Likewise, only half of the mouthpiece 8 is represented. FIG. 1 shows the double-kinked section plane of FIGS. 2 and 3 with a dash-dotted line.

(9) The silhouette of the complete unit is shown in the lower region of FIG. 1 with a dotted line.

(10) FIG. 2 shows the dosing inhaler shown in elevation in FIG. 1 as a skew projection, namely with a section in the doubly kinked sectional plane defined in FIG. 1. By this means it is possible to view the centre point of the active-fluid container 1 with the spray and also a section through the exhalation tube 33.

(11) In FIG. 2, the atomizer 2, an ultrasonic oscillator, can be seen on the base of the carrier-liquid container 6. It is comprehensible how the oscillations of the atomizer 2 are transmitted to the active liquid via the carrier liquid in the carrier-liquid container 6 and via thein this example conicalactive-liquid container 1.

(12) In FIG. 2, the first phase of the cycle is shown, namely the aerosol preparation. In this phase, the atomizer 2 oscillates and transmits the oscillations to the carrier liquid, and from there via the active fluid container to the active liquid itself. This forms the spray, which can be seen in FIG. 2 and separates out the aerosol clouds, which can be seen in FIG. 2 as dotted regions within the active liquid container 1.

(13) During the aerosol preparation, the patient should exhale. That is ordered in the user-command output 5 by the command exhale. In this phase, the patient must not release his mouth from the mouthpiece 8, but can breath normally, which is represented by the air stream characterized by the arrow. The air streams from the mouthpiece 8 into the exhaust-air tube 32 and from there via the slit 38 into the aerosol dome 3 and into the exhalation tube 33. The air passes through the aerosol filter 34, opens the exhalation valve 36 and then emerges into the ambient air. In FIG. 2, it can be seen how the exhalation air has opened the exhalation valve 36 by virtue of its flow.

(14) In FIG. 2, it can be followed that, in the exhalation phase, no aerosol can emerge from the region below the aerosol dome 3, because the air pressure, which is somewhat elevated by exhalation, also continues into the supply-air tube 31, where it closes the supply-air valve 35, so only the route through the exhalation tube 33 remains.

(15) In FIG. 2, the exhalation detector 72 is shown with a dotted line, which can be connected with a small tube to the exhalation tube 33. The exhalation detector 72 detects that air streams through the exhalation tube in this state.

(16) In FIG. 2, it is made plausible that the density sensor 71, as an infrared sensor, can detect the presence of the aerosol cloudsshown here with a dotted linethrough the wall of the active-liquid container 1.

(17) FIG. 3 shows the same section through a three-dimensionally-represented dosing inhaler, as in FIG. 2, but in the inhale state.

(18) In FIG. 3, the aerosol clouds can now be seen within the truncated cone of the baffle 30. Two arrows indicate how the aerosol clouds swirl there.

(19) Another arrow in the supply-air tube 31 shows the direction of the entering air. It can be seen that the supply-air valve 35 is open in the inhale state. The exhalation valve 36 located next to it is closed in this phase and pivots back into the unit.

(20) In FIG. 3, the further course of the inhaled air can be followed:

(21) From the supply-air tube 31, the air enters a cupola above the aerosol dome 3. Two arrows in the left-hand cutaway region of this cupola show the course of the air direction. The air then streams on towards the lower edge of the aerosol dome 3, where it enters the aerosol dome 3. In the process, it entrains the aerosol clouds, which are located below the baffle plate 30. The inhalation suction causes the aerosol clouds within the aerosol dome 3 to flow up again and pass through the slit 38 in the hollow-conical holder 37 into the exhaust-air tube 32. Here, the aerosol cloudsshown as dotted linesare recognizable and flow into the mouthpiece 8, and from there into the patient's lung.

(22) In FIG. 3, it is made clear thatin the illustrated endpart of the inhale phase of the density sensor 71 can no longer report the presence of aerosol in the active fluid container 1, since all the aerosol clouds have already found their way out of the active liquid container 1.

(23) The electronic control 4 is only drawn schematically in FIGS. 2 and 3. The functional connection to the atomizer, to the density sensor 71 and to the respiration detector 72 are not shown.

LIST OF REFERENCE CHARACTERS

(24) 1 Active-liquid container 2 Atomizer below the active-liquid container 1 3 Aerosol dome above the active-liquid container 1 30 Baffle within the aerosol dome 3 31 Supply-air tube leading to the underside of the aerosol dome 3 via the cupola above the aerosol dome 3 32 Exhaust-air tube emerges from the top side of the aerosol dome 3 33 Exhalation tube, emerges from the side of the aerosol dome 3 34 Aerosol filter at the end of the exhalation tube 33 35 Supply-air valve at the inlet of the supply-air tube 31 36 Exhalation valve at the end of the exhalation tube 33 37 Mount of the baffle plate 30 38 Slit in the mount 37 4 Electronic control 5 User-command output 6 Carrier-liquid container between the atomizer 2 and the active-liquid container 1 71 Density sensor 72 Respiration detector 8 Mouthpiece