Atomizer particularly for use in devices for inhalation therapy
AssigneePaul Ritzau Pari-Werk GmbH
InventorsMartin Knoch, Stephan Brugger
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Abstract
Inhalation therapy is not only used for the treatment of respiratory tract diseases, but also increasingly for administering other medicinal substances. In this kind of therapy, the substance is made available to the patient for inhalation in the form of a liquid vapor having very small droplet diameters (ca. 1 to 5 um) and is transported together with the inhaled air into the respiratory tracts. The inventive atomizer consists of a cylindrical atomizing space with two openings for respectively supplying and withdrawing the liquid vapor, the openings being arranged in such a manner that a spiral vortex is formed which extends about the longitidunal axis of the atomizing space.
Claims14
An inhalation therapy atomizer for supplying a vaporized liquid to a patient, said atomizer comprising:
- a tubular housing having a wall, a first end and a second end spaced from said first end and a longitudinal axis extending from said first end to said second end, said housing having an interior wall surface of substantially constant radius around said axis;
- a central member with a cylindrical exterior surface disposed within said housing with the axis of said cylindrical surface co-axial with said axis of said housing, said cylindrical exterior surface having a radius less than said radius of said interior wall surface, said cylindrical exterior surface and said interior wall surface defining an atomizing space therebetween;
- said tubular housing having a first opening at said first end for supplying vaporized liquid to said atomizing space and a second opening at said second end for withdrawing vaporized liquid from said atomizing space, at least one of said first opening and said second opening extending through said wall;
- and
- vapor directing means connected to said one of said first opening and said second opening for directing said vapor along a spiral path extending from said one of said first opening and said second opening to the other of said first opening and said second opening, said path being spaced from said axis and extending around said axis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.