US 5,287,847 A · Universal nebulizer

Abstract

A nebulizer (10) for generating high concentrations of inhalable medicinal aerosols over a wide range of flow rates and mass outputs for medical inhalation therapy applications. A primary orifice (26), secondary orifice (44), inter-orifice gap (54), stagnation baffle (60), and spray gap (66) are scalable within defined parameters to provide any desired flow rate or mass output. The nebulizer is ideally suited for inhalation therapy of infants and children and can provide aerosols with flow rates ranging from less than 1 liter per minute to approximately 3 liters per minute at normal compressed gas pressures. The design parameters can also be scaled within defined limits to produce greater flows for treatment of adults or for use in other applications requiring high volumetric flow rates.

Claims25

Dependent claims

A device for generating medicinal aerosols, comprising:

(a) flow generating means for generating a jet of gas, said flow generating means including a primary orifice;
(b) fluid reservoir means for holding fluid to be nebulized;
(c) a fluid injector, said fluid injector coupled to said fluid reservoir means, said fluid injector coupled to said flow generating means, said fluid injector including a secondary orifice having an inlet and an outlet, said inlet of said secondary orifice spaced apart from and aligned with said primary orifice;
and
(d) stagnation baffle means for aerosolizing fluid droplets entrained in said gas upon striking said stagnation baffle means, said stagnation baffle means spaced proximally apart from said outlet of said secondary orifice by a gap ranging from approximately 0.23 millimeters to approximately 0.46 millimeters, said stagnation baffle means having a longitudinal axis aligned in a substantially perpendicular orientation in relation to a longitudinal axis extending through said secondary orifice.

2 more elements

An apparatus for generating an aerosol of fluid droplets dispersed in a gaseous flow, comprising:

(a) a housing, said housing including a lower fluid containment means for containing a fluid to be nebulized, an upper aerosol containment means for containing nebulized fluid, and an aerosol outlet port communicating with said upper aerosol containment means;
(b) a primary injector coupled to said housing, said primary injector including a gas inlet port and a primary orifice;
(c) a secondary injector coupled to said primary injector, said secondary injector including a fluid inlet port, a secondary orifice, and a secondary chamber, said secondary orifice extending between said secondary chamber and said upper reservoir region, said primary injector disposed within said secondary chamber to form a gap between said primary orifice and said secondary orifice, said primary orifice axially aligned with said secondary orifice;
(d) a non-spherical stagnation baffle means, coupled to said secondary injector, for aerosolizing fluid droplets entrained in said gas upon striking said stagnation baffle means, said stagnation baffle means having a surface positioned in proximity to said secondary orifice by a gap ranging from approximately 0.23 millimeters to approximately 0.46 millimeters, said stagnation baffle means having a longitudinal axis aligned in a substantially perpendicular orientation in relation to a longitudinal axis extending through said secondary orifice;
(e) a conduit, said conduit extending from said fluid inlet port into said lower fluid containment means.

2 more elements

A scalable nebulizing device for generating medicinal aerosols for delivery to a patient, comprising:

(a) a primary injector, said primary injector including a gas inlet port and a gas outlet port, said primary injector including a gas outlet face circularly disposed about said gas outlet port;
(b) a secondary injector, said secondary injector including a fluid inlet port, said secondary injector including an orifice having an inlet port and an outlet port, said orifice including an orifice inlet face circularly disposed about said orifice inlet port, said orifice including an orifice outlet face circularly disposed about said orifice outlet port, said secondary injector including a chamber, said primary injector extending into said chamber to form a gap between said gas outlet face and said orifice inlet face, said gas outlet port axially aligned with said orifice inlet port;
(c) a generally rod-shaped stagnation baffle means for aerosolizing fluid droplets entrained in said gas upon striking said stagnation baffle means, said stagnation baffle means having a surface positioned in proximity to said orifice outlet port to form a spray gap between said orifice outlet face and said surface of said stagnation baffle means ranging from approximately 0.23 millimeters to approximately 0.46 millimeters, said stagnation baffle means having a longitudinal axis aligned in a substantially perpendicular orientation in relation to a longitudinal axis extending through said secondary orifice;
(d) a housing, said housing coupled to said primary injector, said housing including a reservoir, said reservoir including a lower fluid region and an upper aerosol region;
and
(e) a tube, said tube coupled to said fluid inlet port, said tube extending into said lower fluid region of said reservoir.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Universal nebulizer

Life of this patent

Universal nebulizer

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims25