Thermal drop generator
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
InventorsXiaofeng Yang, Rod Alloy, Kenneth Truba
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A silicon die having an orifice layer with plural openings formed therein defines a drop ejection device for use in a handheld inhaler. An underlying control layer defines fluid chambers, each carrying a heat transducer. A control system energizes selected heat transducers to heat fluid in the chambers, vaporizing the fluid, which is ejected through the orifices in small droplets.
Claims27
A medication delivery apparatus, comprising:
- a drop ejection device including at least 1000 drop generators;
- a fluid delivery system configured to deliver fluid to the drop generators;
- circuitry electrically coupled to the drop generators and configured to deliver drop ejection pulses to the drop generators;
- and
- a controller capable of delivering drop ejection pulses simultaneously to separate drop generators that are spaced apart on the drop ejection device.
A method of energizing drop generators in a metered dose inhaler having an ejector device, comprising the steps of:
- (a) supplying fluid medication to drop generators arranged in groups on the ejector device, each group comprising plural drop generators and each group spatially separated from each other group;
- and
- (b) simultaneously applying electrical firing pulses to plural groups to simultaneously energize plural drop generators in plural groups.
A handheld inhaler, comprising:
- a drop ejection device including a multiplicity of fluid drop generators arranged plurality of groups, each group including a multiplicity of drop generators;
- and
- control circuitry coupled each drop generator and configured to simultaneously provide a firing pulse to all of the drop generators in at least two of the groups.
A method of minimizing merger of drops ejected from a metered dose inhaler, comprising the steps of:
- (a) arranging drop generators on a drop ejection device in plural groups, each group comprising plural drop generators and each group spatially separated on the drop ejection device from adjacent groups;
- (b) simultaneously ejecting drops from the drop generators in at least two groups by energizing all of the drop generators in the at least two groups.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.