Stamford Devices Limited

Filtertek Inc.

Filtertek B.v.

Brendan Hogan

Kieran James Hyland

Anthony Redmond

Hong Xu

Conor Paul Duffy

Ronan MacLoughlin

Colm M Carmody

Jan W M Mijers

Brendan Casey

Seamus Clifford

Mark Southern

Kieran Costello

Rolf Rainer Scheu

Daniela Butan

Michael Pomeroy

Patrick Martin Kelly

David Sheil

Kieran Hyland

David Shiel

Jan Willem Mijers

Ronan Macloughlin

Jan Willem Marinus Mijers

An aerosol generator () has a vibratable plate () with apertures therein and an annular piezo () which causes movement of the vibratable plate (). An annular support member () supports the piezo () and the vibratable plate (). A first electrical power conducting pin () engages directly with a first, top, surface of the piezo (). A second electrical power conducting pin () indirectly conducts electrical power to a second surface of the piezo (), by contacting an extension tab () of the support member (), also on its top side. There is a film of cured epoxy adhesive on the tab (), providing excellent gripping force between the pin () and the support (). The aerosol generator () avoids need for soldered joints for electrical contact, and the pins are conveniently mounted parallel to each on the same lateral and top side of the piezo and support member. The pins may have multi-point tips () for particularly effective electrical contact.

Aerosol generator

An aperture plate is manufactured by plating metal around a mask of resist columns having a desired size, pitch, and profile, which yields a wafer about 60 μm thickness. This is approximately the full desired target aperture plate thickness. The plating is continued so that the metal overlies the top surfaces of the columns until the desired apertures are achieved. This needs only one masking/plating cycle to achieve the desired plate thickness. Also, the plate has passageways formed beneath the apertures, formed as an integral part of the method, by mask material removal. These are suitable for entrainment of aerosolized droplets exiting the apertures.

Method for producing an aperture plate

A photo-resist () is applied in a pattern or vertical columns having the dimensions of holes or pores of the aperture plate to be produced. This mask pattern provides the apertures which define the aerosol particle size, having up to 2500 holes per square mm. There is electro-deposition of metal () into the spaces around the columns (). There is further application of a second photo-resist mask () of much larger (wider and taller) columns, encompassing the area of a number of first columns (). The hole diameter in the second plating layer is chosen according to a desired flow rate.

Aperture plate for a nebulizer

An aerosol generator with electrical power conducting pins has a vibratable plate with apertures therein and an annular piezo. An annular support member supports the piezo and the vibratable plate. A first electrical power conducting pin engages directly with a first, top, surface of the piezo. A second electrical power conducting pin indirectly conducts electrical power to a second surface of the piezo, by contacting an extension tab. There is a film of cured epoxy adhesive on the tab. The aerosol generator avoids need for soldered joints for electrical contact, and the pins are conveniently mounted parallel to each on the same lateral and top side of the piezo and support member. The pins may have multi-point tips for particularly effective electrical contact.

Aerosol generator with electrical power conducting pins

An aerosol generator has a vibratable plate with apertures therein and an annular piezo which causes movement of the vibratable plate. An annular support member supports the piezo and the vibratable plate. A first electrical power conducting pin engages directly with a first, top, surface of the piezo. A second electrical power conducting pin indirectly conducts electrical power to a second surface of the piezo, by contacting an extension tab of the support member, also on its top side. There is a film of cured epoxy adhesive on the tab, providing excellent gripping force between the pin and the support. The aerosol generator avoids need for soldered joints for electrical contact, and the pins are conveniently mounted parallel to each on the same lateral and top side of the piezo and support member. The pins may have multi-point tips for particularly effective electrical contact.

An aperture plate is manufactured by plating metal around a mask of resist columns having a desired size, pitch, and profile, which yields a wafer about 60 &#x3bc;m thickness. This is approximately the full desired target aperture plate thickness. The plating is continued so that the metal overlies the top surfaces of the columns until the desired apertures are achieved. This needs only one masking/plating cycle to achieve the desired plate thickness. Also, the plate has passageways formed beneath the apertures, formed as an integral part of the method, by mask material removal. These are suitable for entrainment of aerosolized droplets exiting the apertures.

An aerosol generator () has a vibratable plate () with apertures therein and an annular piezo () which causes movement of the vibratable plate (). An annular support member () supports the piezo () and the vibratable plate (). A first electrical power conducting pin () engages directly with a first, top, surface of the piezo (). A second electrical power conducting pin () indirectly conducts electrical power to a second surface of the piezo (), by contacting an extension tab () of the support member (), also on its top side. There is a film of cured epoxy adhesive on the tab (), providing excellent gripping force between the pin () and the support (). The aerosol generator () avoids need for soldered joints for electrical contact, and the pins are conveniently mounted parallel to each on the on the same lateral and top side of the piezo and support member. The pins may have multi-point tips () for particularly effective electrical contact.

A method for aerosolising a liquid comprises the steps of: &#x2014;providing an aperture plate having at least 100 outlet holes per mm; delivering liquid to the aperture plate; and vibrating the aperture plate to produce an aerosol. The viscosity of the liquid is in the range of from 1 to 15 cP and the surface tension of the liquid is in the range of from 72 to 0.5 mN/m. The output rate of the generated aerosol is greater than 0.01 mL/min.

Aerosol generation

A photo-resist () is applied in a pattern of vertical columns having the dimensions of holes or pores of the aperture plate to be produced. This mask pattern provides the apertures which define the aerosol particle size, having up to 2500 holes per square mm. There is electro-deposition of metal () into the spaces around the columns (). There is further application of a second photo-resist mask () of much larger (wider and taller) columns, encompassing the area of a number of first columns (). The hole diameter in the second plating layer is chosen according to a desired flow rate.

A photo-resist is applied in a pattern of vertical columns having the dimensions of holes or pores of the aperture plate to be produced. This mask pattern provides the apertures which define the aerosol particle size, having up to 2500 holes per square mm. There is electro-deposition of metal into the spaces around the columns. There is further application of a second photo-resist mask of much larger (wider and taller) columns, encompassing the area of a number of first columns. The hole diameter in the second plating layer is chosen according to a desired flow rate.

An aperture plate is formed from a palladium nickel alloy comprising about 89% palladium and about 11% nickel. There is a generally fine substantially equiaxed grain microstructure throughout the thickness of the aperture plate. The average grain width (W) is in the range of from 0.2 &#x3bc;m to 5.0 &#x3bc;m, in some cases from 0.2 &#x3bc;m to 2.0 &#x3bc;m. Because the grain structure is equiaxed (L/W=1) the grain length (L) is the same as the grain width. The improved aperture plate extends the life of nebulizers, eliminates the risk of premature and unpredictable failure of a nebulizer in service, eliminates the risk of product returns from hospitals and patients, and eliminates the possible risk of fragments of the aperture plate breaking free from the nebulizer.

Growing community of inventors

Gort, Ireland

Brendan Hogan