An atomizer including a gas exit, an outlet adjacent the gas exit, and a deflector for deflecting gas issuing from the gas exit over the outlet for drawing a substance to be atomized out from one outlet and atomizing the substance in the gas issuing from the gas exit characterised in that the deflector is movable between a first position in the path of the gas issuing from the gas exit for atomization and a second and non-atomizing position.
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0. 40. An atomizer comprising:
an atomizing chamber;
a pressurized gas outlet leading to the atomizing chamber;
an air inlet for enabling a flow of ambient air into the atomizing chamber;
an air outlet for enabling a flow of air and atomized substance out of the atomizing chamber to a patient;
an air passage extending between the air inlet and air outlet;
a valve in the air passage, the valve having a variable-sized opening therethrough, the size of the opening being cyclically variable in response to cyclical inhalations by a patient through the air outlet;
a reservoir;
a substance passage having a substance inlet in fluid communication with the reservoir, and a substance outlet that opens into the atomizing chamber; and
a deflector arranged to deflect gas issuing from the pressurized gas outlet,
wherein the deflector is cyclically movable relative to the substance outlet in response to the cyclical inhalations.
0. 32. An atomizer comprising:
an atomizing chamber;
a pressurized gas outlet leading to the atomizing chamber;
an air inlet for enabling a flow of ambient air into the atomizing chamber;
an air outlet for enabling a flow of air and atomized substance out of the atomizing chamber to a patient;
an air passage extending between the air inlet and air outlet;
a valve in the air passage, the valve having a variable-sized opening therethrough, the size of the opening being cyclically variable in response to cyclical inhalations by a patient through the air outlet;
a reservoir;
a substance passage having a substance inlet in fluid communication with the reservoir, and a substance outlet that opens into the atomizing chamber; and
a deflector arranged to deflect gas issuing from the pressurized gas outlet,
wherein a distance between the deflector and the substance outlet is cyclically variable in response to the cyclical inhalations.
0. 39. An atomizer comprising:
an atomizing chamber;
a pressurized gas outlet leading to the atomizing chamber;
an air outlet for enabling a flow of air and atomized substance out of the atomizing chamber to a patient;
a reservoir;
a substance passage having a substance inlet in fluid communication with the reservoir, and a substance outlet that opens into the atomizing chamber; and
a deflector arranged to deflect gas issuing from the pressurized gas outlet,
wherein the deflector is movable relative to the substance outlet between an atomizing position and a non-atomizing position,
wherein the pressurized gas outlet, deflector, and substance outlet are positioned relative to each other such that when the deflector is in the atomizing position relative to the substance outlet and a substance is in the reservoir, a flow of gas through the pressurized gas outlet draws the substance from the reservoir through the substance passage and out of the substance outlet and atomizes the substance, and
the pressurized gas outlet, deflector, and substance outlet are positioned relative to each other such that when the deflector is in the non-atomizing position relative to the substance outlet and the substance is in the reservoir, the flow of gas through the pressurized gas outlet does not draw the substance from the reservoir through the substance passage and out of the substance outlet or atomize the substance.
0. 26. An atomizer comprising:
an atomizing chamber;
a pressurized gas outlet leading to the atomizing chamber;
an air outlet for enabling a flow of air and atomized substance out of the atomizing chamber to a patient;
a reservoir;
a substance passage having a substance inlet in fluid communication with the reservoir, and a substance outlet that opens into the atomizing chamber; and
a deflector arranged to deflect gas issuing from the pressurized gas outlet,
wherein a variable distance between the substance outlet and the deflector is variable between an atomizing distance and a non-atomizing distance,
wherein the pressurized gas outlet, deflector, and substance outlet are positioned relative to each other such that when the deflector and substance outlet are spaced apart by the atomizing distance and a substance is in the reservoir, a flow of gas through the pressurized gas outlet draws the substance from the reservoir through the substance passage and out of the substance outlet and atomizes the substance, and
the pressurized gas outlet, deflector, and substance outlet are positioned relative to each other such that when the deflector and substance outlet are spaced apart by the non-atomizing distance and the substance is in the reservoir, the flow of gas through the pressurized gas outlet does not draw the substance from the reservoir through the substance passage and out of the substance outlet or atomize the substance.
0. 1. An atomizer comprising:
a head having a gas exit and at least one outlet adjacent said gas exit;
a deflector for deflecting gas issuing from said gas exit over at least one of said outlets, for drawing a substance to be atomized out from at least one of said outlets and atomizing the substance in the gas issuing from said gas exit; and
said deflector mounted with respect to said head so that said deflector is movable between a first position in which said deflector is adjacent said gas exit and directly in the path of gas issuing from said gas exit so that atomization of the substance takes place, and a second position spaced from said gas exit so that no atomizing takes place.
0. 2. An atomizer as recited in
0. 3. An atomizer as recited in
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0. 5. An atomizer as recited in
0. 6. An atomizer as recited in
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0. 8. An atomizer as recited in
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0. 10. An atomizer as recited in
0. 11. An atomizer as recited in
0. 12. An atomizer as recited in
0. 13. An atomizer as recited in
0. 14. An atomizer as recited in
0. 15. An atomizer as recited in
0. 16. An atomizer as recited in
0. 17. An atomizer as recited in
0. 18. An atomizer comprising:
a head having a gas exit and at least one outlet adjacent said gas exit;
a deflector for deflecting gas issuing from said gas exit over at least one of said outlets, for drawing a substance to be atomized out from at least one of said outlets and atomizing the substance in the gas issuing from said gas exit;
said deflector mounted with respect to said head so that said deflector is movable between a first position in the path of gas issuing from said gas exit for atomization, and a second, non-atomizing, position; and
a vane for moving said deflector between said first and second positions.
0. 19. An atomizer as recited in
0. 20. An atomizer as recited in
0. 21. An atomizer as recited in
0. 22. An atomizer as recited in
0. 23. An atomizer comprising:
a head having a gas exit and at least one outlet adjacent said gas exit;
a deflector for deflecting gas issuing from said gas exit over at least one of said outlets, for drawing a substance to be atomized out from at least one of said outlets and atomizing the substance in the gas issuing from said gas exit; and
said deflector pivotally mounted with respect to said head so that said deflector is pivotally movable between a first position in the path of gas issuing from said gas exit for atomization, and a second, non-atomizing, position.
0. 24. An atomizer as recited in
0. 25. Spray forming apparatus comprising:
a housing having an outlet for a spray of atomized substance;
a head mounted within said housing and including a pressurized gas exit, and at least one outlet adjacent said gas exit;
a deflector for deflecting gas issuing from said gas exit over at least one of said outlets, for drawing a substance to be atomized out from at least one of said outlets and atomizing the substance in the gas issuing from said gas exit; and
said deflector mounted with respect to said head so that said deflector is movable between a first position in which said deflector is adjacent said gas exit and directly in the path of gas issuing from said gas exit so that atomization of the substance takes place, and the atomized substance is sprayed out of said housing outlet, and a second position in which said deflector is spaced from said gas exit so that no atomized substance is sprayed out of said spray outlet.
0. 27. The atomizer of claim 26, wherein the deflector is movable relative to the pressurized gas outlet.
0. 28. The atomizer of claim 26, wherein the substance outlet and pressurized gas outlet are in fixed positions relative to each other.
0. 29. The atomizer of claim 26, further comprising:
an air inlet for enabling a flow of ambient air into the atomizing chamber;
an air passage extending between the air inlet and air outlet; and
a valve in the air passage, the valve having a variable-sized opening therethrough, the size of the opening being cyclically variable in response to cyclical inhalations by the patient through the air outlet.
0. 30. The atomizer of claim 29, wherein the variable distance is cyclically variable between the atomizing and non-atomizing distances in response to the cyclical inhalations.
0. 31. The atomizer of claim 30, wherein:
the valve is movable between a first position that at least substantially seals the air inlet from the atomizing chamber, and a second position that permits air flow from the air inlet to the atomizing chamber,
the atomizer is constructed and arrange to make the variable distance become the atomizing distance in response to each inhalation of the cyclical inhalations;
the atomizer is constructed and arrange to make the variable distance become the non-atomizing distance in response to the completion of each inhalation of the cyclical inhalations;
the atomizer is constructed and arranged to, in response to each inhalation of the cyclical inhalations, move the valve into its second position after making the variable distance become the atomizing distance,
the atomizer is constructed and arranged to move the valve into its first position in response to the completion of each inhalation of the cyclical inhalations.
0. 33. The atomizer of claim 32, wherein the valve comprises a movable flap disposed in the air passage.
0. 34. The atomizer of claim 32, wherein the valve comprises a pressure-responsive valve that is constructed and arranged to increase the size of the opening in the valve in response to negative pressure in the air passage.
0. 35. The atomizer of claim 32, wherein:
the valve is constructed and arranged to increase the size of the opening in response to an inhalation, and
the valve is constructed and arranged to decrease the size of the opening in response to completion of the inhalation.
0. 36. The atomizer of claim 35, wherein:
the valve is movable between a first position that at least substantially seals the air inlet from the atomizing chamber, and a second position that permits air flow from the air inlet to the atomizing chamber, and
the valve is constructed and arranged to move into its second position in response to the inhalation,
the valve is constructed and arranged to move into its first position in response to completion of the inhalation.
0. 37. The atomizer of claim 32, wherein:
the distance is variable between an atomizing distance and a non-atomizing distance:
the pressurized gas outlet, deflector, and substance outlet are positioned relative to each other such that when the deflector and substance outlet are spaced apart by the atomizing distance and a substance is in the reservoir, a flow of gas through the pressurized gas outlet draws the substance from the reservoir through the substance passage and out of the substance outlet and atomizes the substance, and
the pressurized gas outlet, deflector, and substance outlet are positioned relative to each other such that when the deflector and substance outlet are spaced apart by the non-atomizing distance and the substance is in the reservoir, the flow of gas through the pressurized gas outlet does not draw the substance from the reservoir through the substance passage and out of the substance outlet or atomize the substance.
0. 38. The atomizer of claim 26, wherein the substance outlet is in a fixed position relative to the pressurized gas outlet.
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More than one reissue application has been filed for U.S. Pat. No. 5,687,912, including continuation of Ser. No. 09/425,031 U.S. Reissue Patent, filed Oct. 19, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. Re. 40,591 reissued Dec. 2, 2008, the present application being a continuation thereof.
The present invention relates to atomizers and, in particular, to atomizers of the type which include a gas exit, at least one outlet in the region of the gas exit and a deflector for deflecting gas issuing from the gas exit across the at least one outlet whereby a substance to be atomized is drawn out of the at least one outlet and atomized. These atomizers atomize liquids or powders into the gas.
Most conventional atomizers of the above type operate continuously whether atomization is required or not. Strictly speaking, when such atomizers, frequently called nebulisers, are used in medical applications, atomization is only required during the inhalation phase of a breathing cycle so that a drug can be administered by deposition in the lungs. In practice a patient usually inhales for about 30 percent of the breathing cycle, consequently, use of a continuously operating atomizer results in a large proportion of the atomized drug being wasted.
Some designs of medical atomizer overcome such wastage by giving the patient a trigger to start the atomization when they begin to inhale. Such a trigger controlled type of atomizer is not satisfactory since the patient must coordinate inhalation with trigger operation.
In one conventional atomizer a gas duct leads gas under pressure to a gas exit, a reservoir for holding the substance to be atomized is formed around the base of the gas duct, and a sleeve placed around the gas duct defines a passageway through which the substance to be atomized may pass to at least one outlet. A fixed deflector in the form of a bar is disposed in line with the gas outlet so that gas issuing from the gas exit is deflected so as to pass over the outlet or outlets. The passage of gas over each outlet draws the substance to be atomised from the reservoir, through the passageway to each outlet. The deflected gas atomizes the substance, and atomized particles of the substance are carried away during the inhalation phase of the patient since the patient breathes air or gas in through the atomizer some of the drug is lost while the patient is not inhaling.
Atomizers are used in other applications. For example, powders or liquid may be sprayed from a jet, the liquid or powder being atomized and entrained by a propellant. In conventional sprays, operation is controlled by a valve for releasing propellant. When the valve is released, the spraying operation is stopped and some of the liquid or powder collects in the jet since insufficient propellant has been released. The collected spray either dries to block the jet or is propelled by a re-started spraying operation in large droplets. Where paint is being sprayed, this causes splatter and uneven deposition on a surface to be painted.
It is an object of this invention to reduce at least some of the above disadvantages of the above-mentioned prior art.
The present invention is defined in the appended claims.
Embodiments of the invention are described below by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Referring to
A downwardly and outwardly shaped baffle 9 is disposed around the jet head 3 to deflect the atomized substance downwards before it is carried away. It is important that the substance is atomized into very fine droplets. In medical applications, the substance to be atomized is a drug for administering to a patient by lung deposition. The finer the droplets, the deeper into the lungs the drug will pass. This maximises the deposition of the drug. Larger droplets collect on the inside of the baffle 9 where they coalesce to drop back down into the reservoir 7.
The atomizer also includes an air inlet 13 and an air outlet 14. In the above-mentioned medical application, as a patient inhales, ambient air is drawn into the atomizer through the inlet 13. The air then passes into the region of the air exit 4 and outlets 5 where droplets are entrained by the inhaled ambient air. The air then passes down under the baffle 9 before passing upwardly and out via the air outlet 14 carrying droplets of the drug to the patient. This action is described in more detail in British Patent application 9219327.5 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,533,501, which are hereby imported into this description in their entirety.
A planar arcuate gas deflector 1 is mounted above the gas exit to be movable about a pivot in that plane. The gas deflector 1 may be disposed across the gas exit 4, in which case atomization takes place, or may be disposed away from the gas exit 4, in which case no atomization takes place.
A vane 2 is joined to the deflector bar 1 so as to be pivotally mounted and to move with the deflector bar 1. The flap 2 responds to the breathing pattern of a patient by moving around the pivot.
When the apparatus is not in use, the vane assumes the position shown in
When a patient inhales, ambient air is drawn into the atomizer through the air inlet 13. The vane 2 is displaced into the position shown in
The deflector extends further from the pivot than the flap so that the deflector can be positioned very close to the gas exit without obstruction from the flap. The curved surface 12 against which the vane seals therefore includes an arcuate slot through which the deflector may pass.
If the patient inhales sharply or quickly, the vane 2 assumes the position shown in
When the patient exhales, the vane 2 is displaced to a position as shown in
When the patient is not breathing in or out, the vane 2 is biassed towards the position shown in
The atomizer shown in
Referring to
According to another embodiment (not shown), the rubber block 10 is replaced by a metal spring eg, a leaf spring which permits the vane 2 and deflector 1 to be pivotally moveable in the same manner as described in relation to the rubber block 10 and tongue 11.
In a further embodiment (not shown) the vane 2 is omitted, and the deflector is movable into and out of the stream of gas issuing from the gas exit according to the breathing pattern of a patient. The vane is replaced by a flow sensor which detects when a patient begins to inhale and moves the deflector 1 into the path of gas issuing from the gas exit. In this embodiment the deflector is a bar which is moveable perpendicularly or laterally relevant to the longitudinal extent of the bar.
In another embodiment the deflector 1 is displaceable up and down in line with the gas issuing from the gas outlet. Once the deflector is raised above a certain height, atomization ceases to take place.
In yet a further embodiment, the deflector is not a straight bar, but is of any suitable shape for deflecting the gas across the outlets to cause atomization. The deflector may, for example, be a spherical ball disposed in the path of gas exiting the gas exit. The deflector may be a longitudinal blade movable into the path of the gas in the longitudinal direction of the blade.
In yet another embodiment (not shown) of this invention, the atomizer is used for producing a spray. This spray may be liquid droplets or powder particles. In medical applications, the spray may contain a drug. This spray producing apparatus may be used for producing sprays of paint droplets, perfume droplets or any other suitable liquids or powders. A base unit 15 of
Under certain conditions, although 95% of the gas issuing from the gas exit 4 is deflected to either side of the deflector bar 1, a small amount hits the baffle bar depositing the substance to be atomized on the deflector bar 1. The gas which hits the baffle bar drives the liquid along the baffle bar towards the ends where the liquid can collect on top of the baffle 9 so that it is lost to the atomizer system. The whole dose of medicament is then not available to be administered to the patient. Furthermore, in some arrangements, as the deflector bar is moved out of the flow of gas issuing from the gas exit 4, the liquid that is running along the edge of the deflector bar 1 is sprayed into the top of the nebulizer where it collects without returning back to the reservoir 7. Referring now to
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