Tidal dry powder inhaler with miniature pressure sensor activation
AssigneeMicrodose Therapeutx, Inc.
InventorsMark Steven Morrison, Douglas E. Weitzel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tidal dry powder inhaler comprising: a miniature pressure sensor, a sensor port of said sensor being pneumatically coupled to a flow channel through which a user can inhale; a processor configured to process data received from a sensing element of the sensor to make a determination that inhalation of a spontaneous breath through said flow channel is in progress; a controller configured to, responsive to said determination, issue a start dosing signal; and a dosing mechanism configured to release dry powder medicament into the flow channel during inhalation of said spontaneous breath in response to receiving said signal.
Claims20
A tidal dry powder inhaler comprising:
- a barometric pressure sensor;
- a flow channel through which a user can inhale;
- a sensor port of the barometric pressure sensor, wherein the sensor port is pneumatically coupled to the flow channel;
- a processor configured to:
- determine that a first inhalation and exhalation of tidal breathing by the user has occurred through the flow channel based on measurements received from the barometric pressure sensor;
- determine that a second inhalation of the tidal breathing by the user through said flow channel is in progress based on measurements received from the barometric pressure sensor;
- and
- generate a variable start dosing signal in response to determining that the second inhalation of the tidal breathing is in progress, wherein the variable start dosing signal is based on the measurements received from the barometric pressure sensor during the first inhalation and exhalation of tidal breathing by the user;
- and
- a dosing mechanism configured to receive the variable start dosing signal and release dry powder medicament into the flow channel during the second inhalation of the tidal breathing based on the variable start dosing signal.
A method of dry powder medicament dosing using a tidal inhaler, the method comprising:
- determining that a first inhalation and exhalation of tidal breathing by a user has occurred through a flow channel of the tidal inhaler based on measurements received from a barometric pressure sensor, the barometric pressure sensor being pneumatically coupled to the flow channel of the inhaler through an inhaler port of the miniature pressure sensor;
- determining that a second inhalation of the tidal breathing through the flow channel of the tidal inhaler is in progress based on measurements received from a barometric pressure sensor;
- generating a variable start dosing signal in response to determining that the second inhalation of the tidal breathing is in progress, wherein the variable start dosing signal is based on the measurements received from the barometric pressure sensor during the first inhalation and exhalation of tidal breathing by the user;
- and
- releasing dry powder medicament into the flow channel using a dosing mechanism during the second inhalation of the tidal breathing based on the variable start dosing signal.
A tidal dry powder inhaler comprising:
- a miniature pressure sensor;
- a flow channel through which a user can inhale;
- a sensor port of the miniature pressure sensor, wherein the sensor port is pneumatically coupled to the flow channel;
- a processor configured to:
- determine whether tidal breathing through a flow channel of the inhaler is in progress based on measurements received from the miniature pressure sensor;
- determine that an inhalation of the tidal breathing is in progress based on measurements received from the miniature pressure sensor;
- send a start dosing signal to a dosing mechanism upon determining that an inhalation of the tidal breathing is in progress that causes the release of dry powder medicament into the flow channel;
- determine that a target volume of the user's lungs has been filled;
- and
- cause the dosing mechanism to stop the release of the dry powder medicament into the flow channel in response to the determination that the target volume of the user's lungs has been filled.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.