CN215780666U

CN215780666U - Inhalation device

Info

Publication number: CN215780666U
Application number: CN202120815186.1U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 任瑞贤
Original assignee: Suzhou Singmed Medical Device Science And Technology Ltd
Current assignee: Suzhou Singmed Medical Device Science And Technology Ltd
Priority date: 2021-04-20
Filing date: 2021-04-20
Publication date: 2022-02-11
Anticipated expiration: 2031-04-20

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an inhalation device, and relates to the technical field of medical instruments. The inhalation device comprises a housing, a receiving compartment and a spacer. The housing comprises a passage for inhalation of the powder. The containment compartment is disposed within the housing and includes an opening for communicating with the channel, the opening being maintained in alignment with the channel. The spacer is configured to be movable relative to the pod between a first position in which a first portion of the spacer is positioned between the opening and the channel to close the opening of the pod from the channel and a second position in which the spacer exposes the opening of the pod from the channel.

Description

Inhalation device

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of medical devices. In particular, the present disclosure relates to an inhalation device.

Background

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is a chronic bronchitis or emphysema characterized by airflow obstruction that can further progress to common chronic diseases of pulmonary heart disease and respiratory failure. The chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is related to abnormal inflammatory reaction caused by harmful gas and harmful particles, the disability rate and the fatality rate are high, and the worldwide incidence rate of over 40 years old is up to 9-10%.

At present, pulmonary inhalation administration and nasal inhalation administration are effective therapies for chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, and have the characteristics of targeting, high efficiency, quick effect, small toxic and side effects and the like. In addition, pulmonary or nasal inhalation administration is often used in the treatment of respiratory diseases such as influenza, asthma, and the like. In the medical field, inhalation devices for delivering pharmaceutical compounds are commonly used for pulmonary or nasal inhalation administration to a user. An inhalation device for delivering pharmaceutical compounds contains the pharmaceutical compounds, and a user uses an inspiratory airflow to drive the pharmaceutical compounds into the airways so that the pharmaceutical compounds act on the airways and the lungs.

Although the existing inhalation device has a simple structure, the problems of unstable powder delivery amount, easy powder residue, poor sealing property (for example, the powder is easy to be affected with damp in a humid environment), no humanized design, complex assembly process and the like generally exist. Wherein, the unstable delivery amount of the powder and the easy residue of the powder result in insufficient administration amount, so that the powder can not achieve the expected curative effect. Furthermore, powder residues in the inhalation device can also contaminate the inhalation device, thereby causing a certain hazard to the user.

Accordingly, there is a need for an improved inhalation device.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

In view of the above, the present disclosure provides an inhalation device to achieve simple, reliable, safe, stable and effective administration of a drug while simplifying and reducing manufacturing and assembling processes.

According to the present disclosure, there is provided an inhalation device comprising: a housing comprising a passage for inhalation of a powder; a containment compartment disposed within the housing and including an opening for communicating with the channel, the opening remaining aligned with the channel; and a spacer configured to be movable relative to the containment compartment between a first position in which a first portion of the spacer is positioned between the opening and the passage to close the opening of the containment compartment from communicating with the passage and a second position in which the spacer exposes the opening of the containment compartment to communicate with the passage.

In the present disclosure, the inhalation device comprises only the housing, the spacer and the accommodation compartment, the opening of the accommodation compartment is always aligned with the passage, and the sealing of the opening and the communication of the opening with the passage can be achieved by simply moving the spacer. This may on the one hand simplify the handling of the inhalation device, simplify the manufacturing and assembly process and reduce the manufacturing and assembly costs, and on the other hand, by keeping the openings aligned with the channels, the stability of the position of the containment compartment may be increased in order to facilitate powder delivery, increasing the powder delivery stability, thereby enabling a stable, reliable, safe and effective administration of the drug. In addition, the containment compartment is closed by the spacer, which can also increase the sealing of the containment compartment, thereby achieving safe and effective administration of the drug.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present disclosure or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly described below, it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, and for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained according to the structures shown in the drawings without creative efforts.

In the drawings:

fig. 1A and 1B respectively show schematic views of an inhalation device in different states according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

figure 2 shows an exploded view of the inhalation device of figure 1;

figure 3A shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the inhalation device of figure 1A;

figure 3B shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the inhalation device of figure 1B;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of the containment vessel of FIG. 2;

figure 5A shows a transverse cross-sectional view of the inhalation device of figure 1A;

FIG. 5B shows a partial enlarged view of region a in FIG. 5A;

figure 6A shows another longitudinal cross-sectional view of the inhalation device of figure 1B;

FIG. 6B shows a partial enlarged view of region B in FIG. 6A;

figure 7 shows a top view of the inhalation device of figure 1A;

FIG. 8 shows a schematic view of the spacer of FIG. 2;

FIG. 9 shows a partial enlarged view of region c in FIG. 3A;

figure 10 shows a schematic view of an inhalation device according to another illustrative embodiment of the present disclosure;

figure 11A shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the inhalation device of figure 10 with the spacer in a first position;

figure 11B shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the inhalation device of figure 10, wherein the spacer has been pulled out;

figure 12 shows an exploded view of the inhalation device of figure 10;

FIG. 13 shows a schematic view of the containment vessel of FIG. 12;

figure 14 shows a transverse cross-sectional view of the inhalation device of figure 10;

figure 15 shows a top view of the inhalation device of figure 10;

FIG. 16 shows a schematic view of the housing of FIG. 12;

figure 17A shows another longitudinal cross-sectional view of the inhalation device of figure 10, wherein the spacer is in the first position;

FIG. 17B shows an enlarged view of region d in FIG. 17A;

figure 18A shows another longitudinal cross-sectional view of the inhalation device in figure 10, wherein the spacer has been pulled out;

fig. 18B shows an enlarged view of the area e in fig. 18A;

FIG. 19 shows a schematic view of the spacer of FIG. 12;

figure 20A shows a further longitudinal cross-sectional view of the inhalation device of figure 10;

FIG. 20B shows an enlarged view of region f in FIG. 20A; and

fig. 21 shows a schematic view of the inhalation device of fig. 10 in another state.

In the drawings, like reference characters designate the same or similar features.

The objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will be further explained with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments disclosed herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

It should be noted that all the directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) in the embodiments of the present disclosure are only used to explain the relative position relationship between the components, the motion situation, etc. in a specific posture (as shown in the drawings), and if the specific posture is changed, the directional indication is changed accordingly.

In the present disclosure, unless explicitly stated or limited otherwise, the terms "connected", "fixed", and the like are to be understood broadly, e.g., as either a mechanical or electrical connection; they may be directly connected or indirectly connected through intervening media, or they may be connected internally or in any other suitable relationship, unless expressly stated otherwise. The specific meaning of the above terms in the present disclosure can be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art as appropriate.

In the present disclosure, unless otherwise indicated, all numbers expressing parameters of components, technical effects, and so forth used in the specification and claims are to be understood as being modified in all instances by the term "about" or "approximately". Accordingly, unless indicated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the following specification and attached claims are approximations. To those skilled in the art, which may vary depending on the desired properties and effects sought to be obtained by the present disclosure, each numerical parameter should be construed in light of the number of significant digits and ordinary rounding approaches or ways understood by those skilled in the art.

In this disclosure, the terminology used in the description of the various described examples is for the purpose of describing the particular examples only and is not intended to be limiting. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, if the number of elements is not specifically limited, the elements may be one or more. Furthermore, the term "and/or" as used in this disclosure is intended to encompass any and all possible combinations of the listed items.

Currently, there are three broad categories of inhalation devices available on the market, including reservoir type powder inhalers, multi-dose type powder inhalers, and single dose type powder inhalers. Among other things, reservoir-type powder inhalers comprise a reservoir for storing a powder and a quantifiable member that separates a metered amount of powder from the reservoir upon each actuation, which powder is inhaled into the body of the user through an inhalation channel. Such powder inhalers have disadvantages of unstable powder delivery amount, poor sealing property, and easy powder residue. The multi-dose powder inhaler comprises a plurality of blisters for storing powder and a blister strip arranged with blisters which on each actuation pierce one blister, the powder in the blister being inhaled into the user through an inhalation channel. Such powder inhalers suffer from poor reproducibility (differences in delivery of powder from blister to user), powder retention, etc. The powder of the single-dose type powder inhaler is stored in each capsule, and a user needs to put the capsule into a capsule chamber of the powder inhaler at the time of use, and pushes a button to puncture the capsule so that the powder is inhaled into the user through an inhalation passage. Such powder inhalers suffer from poor reliability (e.g., the piercing member may be disengaged from the button member), difficulty in cleaning, complexity in operation, complexity in assembly process, high manufacturing cost, high defective rate, and the like.

There is a dry powder inhaler with powder compartments in the prior art, which comprises an inhaler body and a plurality of powder compartments. Wherein the plurality of powder compartments are movable relative to the inhaler body, the plurality of powder compartments being offset relative to the inhalation passage of the inhaler body in an unused state, and the plurality of powder compartments being movable by a user such that the opening of one of the powder compartments is in aligned communication with the inhalation passage of the inhaler body in a use state for inhalation of powder within the powder compartments through the inhalation passage. Such a dry powder inhaler needs to align the opening of the powder compartment with the inhalation channel by manually pushing the powder compartment by a user, that is, it needs to confirm whether the powder compartment is aligned and communicated with the inhalation channel by the user's hand feeling, and thus the relative position of the powder compartment and the inhalation channel cannot be accurately ensured by the manual alignment. If the powder compartment is not aligned effectively with the inhalation channel, the flow resistance inside the dry powder inhaler during administration will be affected. The flow resistance characterizes the flow of air in the inhalation device and affects the dispersion of the powder, the amount of powder inhaled, and the amount of residual powder when the user inhales the powder, thereby affecting the stability, safety, and reliability of administration. In the present disclosure, the inhalation device comprises only the housing, the spacer and the accommodation compartment, the opening of the accommodation compartment is always aligned with the passage, and the sealing of the opening and the communication of the opening with the passage can be achieved by simply moving the spacer. In one aspect, this may simplify the operation of the inhalation device, simplify the manufacturing and assembly process, and reduce manufacturing and assembly costs. In another aspect, the opening of the receiving compartment of the inhalation device of the present disclosure is always aligned with the channel of the housing, so that the user does not need to move the receiving compartment to make the two aligned and communicated when using, thereby overcoming the problem of unstable position and difficult alignment of the receiving compartment and the channel in the prior art. That is, the above structure increases the stability of the position of the containing compartment, facilitates the delivery of the powder, and increases the powder delivery stability, thereby achieving stable, reliable, safe, and effective administration. In addition, the containment compartment is closed by the spacer, which can also increase the sealing of the containment compartment, thereby achieving safe and effective administration of the drug.

An inhalation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings.

Fig. 1A and 1B respectively show schematic views of an inhalation device 1000 in different states according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; figure 2 shows an exploded view of the inhalation device 1000 of figure 1; figure 3A shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the inhalation device 1000 of figure 1A; figure 3B shows a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the inhalation device 1000 of figure 1B. As shown in fig. 1A, 1B and 2, the inhalation device 1000 comprises a housing 1, a housing compartment 2 and a spacer 3. As shown in fig. 3A and 3B, the housing 1 includes a passage 11 for inhaling the powder. The accommodation compartment 2 is arranged within the housing 1 and comprises an opening 21 for communication with the passage 11, the opening 21 being maintained in alignment with the passage 11. The spacer 3 is configured to be movable between a first position and a second position with respect to the accommodation compartment 2. As shown in fig. 3A, in the first position, the first portion 31 of the spacer 3 is located between the opening 21 and the passage 11 to close the opening 21 of the containment compartment 2, so that the opening 21 is not in communication with the passage 11. As shown in fig. 3B, in the second position, the spacer 3 exposes the opening 21 of the accommodation compartment 2, placing the opening 21 in communication with the passage 11. By the above structural features, not only can the manufacturing and assembling processes be simplified and the manufacturing and assembling costs be reduced, but also simple, reliable, safe, stable, and effective administration can be achieved.

When not in use, when the spacer 3 is in the first position, the spacer 3 closes the opening 21 of the containment compartment 2, so that the powder in the opening 21 cannot be sucked through the passage 11. In use, a user can move the spacer 3 in the first position to the second position relative to the containment compartment 2, thereby exposing the opening 21 of the containment compartment 2 such that the opening 21 is in communication with the channel 11. At this time, the user may apply suction to the mouthpiece 12 of the housing 1 to pass the powder in the pod 2 through the passage 11 to the user's body.

Here, it should be noted that, although the cross-sections of the opening 21 and the passage 11 shown in fig. 2 are both circular, it is understood that the cross-sections of the opening 21 and the passage 11 may also be provided in an oval shape, a square shape, or the like, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some examples, when the cross-section of the opening 21 is circular, the diameter of the opening 21 may be set to 4mm to 6mm to form a good air flow inside the inhalation device, increasing the dispersibility of the powder upon inhalation, thereby reducing the powder residue and improving the administration effect. In some examples, the cross-section of the opening 21 may have a different shape than the cross-section of the channel 11. Further, while the longitudinal cross-sections of the opening 21 and the passage 11 shown in fig. 2 are both cylindrical, it is understood that the longitudinal cross-sections of the opening 21 and the passage 11 may also be trapezoidal, funnel-shaped, etc. that gradually open toward the spout 12, and the disclosure is not limited thereto. In some examples, the shape of the longitudinal cross-section of the opening 21 and the channel 11 may be the same or different.

Furthermore, it should also be noted that the alignment of the opening 21 of the accommodation compartment 2 with the passage 11 of the housing 1 may be a perfect alignment (i.e. the axis of the opening 21 is perfectly aligned with the axis of the passage 11) or an offset alignment (i.e. the axis of the opening 21 is aligned slightly offset from the axis of the passage 11).

In the present embodiment, the accommodation compartment 2 is configured to remain fixed with respect to the housing 1. As shown in fig. 3A and 3B, the accommodation compartment 2 remains stationary with respect to the housing 1 regardless of whether the spacer 3 is in the first position or the second position. At this time, the closing of the opening 21 and the communication of the opening 21 with the passage 11 can be achieved only by moving the spacer 3. This not only increases the stability of the pod 2, but also allows for more precise alignment of the opening 21 with the channel 11 to facilitate powder delivery, increasing powder delivery stability and allowing for reliable, safe, stable and effective dosing.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view of the accommodation compartment 2 in fig. 2. As shown in fig. 4, in order to increase the closure between the receiving compartment 2 and the spacer 3, a first rib 22 surrounding the opening 21 can be provided on the surface of the receiving compartment 2 facing the spacer 3 for abutting against the surface of the spacer 3. The first rib 22 may be annular in shape, but may also be other shapes, such as linear. By providing the first rib 22, the area contact of the accommodation compartment 2 with the spacer 3 can be changed into line contact, which on the one hand facilitates sealing of the spacer 3 in the first position against the opening 21 of the accommodation compartment 2 to avoid wetting of the powder, and on the other hand increases the closeness between the spacer 3 in the second position and the opening 21 to facilitate inhalation of the powder and to avoid leakage of the powder during inhalation, thereby facilitating powder delivery and increasing powder delivery stability. In some examples, the first rib 22 may be made of a rigid material. Alternatively, the first rib 22 may also be made of an elastic material (e.g., rubber). The ribs made of elastic material can increase the tightness and the closure between the spacer 3 and the opening 21. Alternatively or additionally, sealing rings may be provided on at least one of the surface of the accommodation compartment 2 where the opening 21 is located and the surface of the partition 3 facing the opening 21, thereby further increasing the sealability and closeness between the partition 3 and the opening 21.

Figure 5A is a transverse cross-sectional view of the inhalation device 1000 of figure 1A; fig. 5B is a partially enlarged view of the region a of fig. 5A. In order to maintain the relative fixation between the accommodation compartment 2 and the housing 1, a snap structure 4 may be provided between the accommodation compartment 2 and the housing 1. As shown in fig. 5A and 5B, the snap structure 4 may include a first protrusion 17 provided on the inner side of the housing 1 and a protrusion 26 provided on the outer side of the accommodation compartment 2 and abutting against the first protrusion 17 to limit the relative movement of the accommodation compartment 2 and the housing 1, thereby avoiding the movement of the spacer 3 and affecting the alignment between the opening 21 and the channel 11 in case of accident (e.g., drop, etc.). As shown in fig. 6A and 6B, the snap structure 4 may further include a second protrusion 27 disposed on the outer side surface of the accommodation compartment 2 for abutting against the inner side surface of the housing 1 to limit the relative movement of the accommodation compartment 2 and the housing 1.

Referring back to fig. 3A and 3B, the housing 1 may further include a first air inlet 13 for introducing air into the interior of the housing 1, and correspondingly, the receiving compartment 2 further includes a second air inlet 23 for introducing air into the interior of the receiving compartment 2, the second air inlet 23 being disposed at a side of the receiving compartment 2 opposite to the opening 21. The first air inlet 13 and the second air inlet 23 are kept aligned, thereby promoting smooth entry of air into the accommodation compartment 2. When the spacer 3 is in the second position, the first air inlet 13 communicates with the second air inlet 23 to allow the user to create an air circulation within the inhalation device 1000 when applying an inhalation force to the mouthpiece 12, thereby enabling the powder to pass smoothly through the channel 11 to reach the user's body. The first air inlet 13 may be provided as a large through hole to promote the flow of air into the inside of the housing 1. The second gas inlet 23 can be designed as a very narrow slit to prevent powder from leaking during powder filling. In some examples, the length of the second air inlet 23 may be set to 1mm to 3mm, preferably 1.9mm to 2.1 mm. Alternatively or additionally, the width of the second air inlet 23 may be set to 0.1mm to 0.8mm, preferably 0.2mm to 0.4 mm. By setting the size of the specific second air inlet 23, the entering amount of the air flow can be controlled when the powder is inhaled to form good air flow (i.e. forming a certain flow resistance) in the inhalation device, so as to increase the dispersibility of the medicinal powder, reduce the medicinal powder residue and improve the administration effect. The cross-section of the second air inlet 23 may be provided in the shape of a narrow oval (as can be clearly seen in fig. 5A), a circle, a square, or the like. In some examples, the second air inlet 23 may also be designed in the shape of a funnel that flares towards the inside of the containment compartment 2, i.e. the walls of the second air inlet 23 are initially parallel and then gradually flair outwards. In some examples, the opening angle of the walls of the second air inlet 23 (i.e., the angle formed between the outwardly opening walls of the second air inlet 23 in the longitudinal section) may be set to 40 ° to 180 °, preferably 55 ° to 65 °. The funnel-shaped second air inlet 23 having a specific opening angle not only can better block the funnel with the powder to prevent the powder from leaking out of the second air inlet 23, but also helps to control the amount of air flow entering when inhaling the powder to form a good air flow inside the inhalation device, thereby avoiding the bad residue of the powder and improving the administration effect. Further, while only one second air inlet 23 is shown in fig. 3A, it is understood that the containment compartment 2 may also be provided with a plurality of second air inlets 23 (e.g., 2, 3, 4, etc.). Accordingly, the housing 1 may also be provided with one first air inlet 13 corresponding to the plurality of second air inlets 23, or a plurality of first air inlets 13 corresponding to the plurality of second air inlets 23 one to one.

To further promote the air circulation inside the inhalation device 1000, at least one through hole 14 (as can be clearly seen in fig. 6A) may be provided on the side wall of the channel 11 of the housing 1, so that when a user inhales the powder inside the containing compartment 2, more air will be replenished into the inhalation air flow through the at least one through hole 14, thereby facilitating the user's inhalation and promoting the impaction or atomization of the powder.

Furthermore, the passage 11 of the housing 1 may be provided with a smaller orifice 111 on the side opposite the spacer 3, so as to keep a smaller amount of powder passing during inhalation of the powder, thus promoting the impact or atomization of the powder. As shown in fig. 3A and 3B, the orifice 111 may be designed in a funnel shape flaring towards the channel 11, i.e. the walls of the orifice 111 are initially parallel and then flare gradually outwards. In some examples, the opening angle of the walls of the orifice 111 (i.e., the angle formed between the outwardly opening walls of the orifice 111 in longitudinal section) may be set at 70 ° to 120 °, preferably at 85 ° to 95 °. The funnel-shaped orifice 111 having a specific opening angle not only allows a smaller amount of powder to pass through during inhalation of the powder, thereby promoting impact or atomization of the powder, but also helps to form a certain flow resistance in the inhalation device, increasing dispersibility of the drug powder, thereby reducing drug powder residue and improving drug administration effect. Alternatively or additionally, the cross-section of the aperture 111 may be designed as an ellipse (as can be clearly seen from fig. 7), a circle or a square, etc. In some examples, the oval aperture 111 may be set to a length of 2mm to 4mm, preferably 2.8mm to 3.2 mm. Alternatively or additionally, the width of the oval aperture 111 may be set to 0.1mm to 1.5mm, preferably 0.5mm to 0.7 mm. The elongated orifice 111 may allow a smaller amount of powder to pass through during inhalation of the powder, thereby promoting impaction or atomization of the powder, and may allow a certain flow resistance to be formed in the inhalation device during inhalation of the powder, increasing dispersibility of the drug powder, thereby reducing drug powder residue and improving drug delivery effect. Although only one aperture 111 is shown in fig. 3A and 3B, it should be understood that the channel 11 may also be provided with a plurality of apertures 111, e.g. 2, 3, 4, etc.

In some examples, by designing one or more of the dimensions (length, width, opening angle, etc.) of the second air inlet 23 and the orifice 111, the air flow rate inside the inhaler can reach 22-28 l/min at a suction pressure of 2KP (kilopascal), 34-40 l/min at a suction pressure of 4KP, and 42-48 l/min at a suction pressure of 6KP, so that users with different suction forces can better inhale the powder inside the inhaler, thereby increasing the administration stability of the inhaler and ensuring the dispersibility of specific powder, thereby ensuring the administration effect. Wherein the unit "liter per minute" characterizes the volume of airflow per minute that flows through the inhalation device. The suction pressure characterizes the amount of suction force a user takes when using the inhalation device.

Fig. 8 shows a schematic view of the spacer 3 in fig. 2. The spacer 3 is configured to move in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the opening 21 with respect to the housing compartment 2, so as to facilitate the user to move the spacer 3. It should be understood here that the spacer 3 can also be configured to be movable obliquely upward or obliquely downward relative to the accommodation compartment 2. Further, as shown in fig. 8, 3A and 3B, the spacer 3 may include a first portion 31 between the passage 11 and the opening 21. A first through hole 311 is provided in the first portion 31, and when the spacer 3 is in the second position, the first through hole 311 is aligned with the opening 21 and the channel 11. The alignment may be perfect alignment or may be offset alignment.

Here, it should be noted that although the cross section of the first through hole 311 shown in fig. 8 is circular, it is understood that the cross section of the first through hole 311 may also be oval, square, or the like, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Further, the size of the first through hole 311 may be the same as the size of the opening 21 of the housing compartment 2, may be smaller than the opening 21, or may be larger than the opening 21. By setting the size of the first through hole 311 in relation to the size of the opening 21, a certain flow resistance can be created inside the inhalation device. Preferably, the size of the first through hole 311 is greater than or equal to the size of the opening 21. In this way, not only can the smooth passing of the powder through the first part 31 of the spacer 3 be promoted, but also a good air flow can be formed inside the inhalation device during inhalation, and the dispersibility of the powder during inhalation can be increased, thereby reducing the powder residue and improving the administration effect. In some examples, when the cross-section of the first via 311 and the opening 21 is circular, the diameter of the first via 311 is greater than or equal to the diameter of the opening 21 near the first via 311.

As shown in fig. 8, the spacer 3 may further include a second portion 32. The second portion 32 is located between the second air inlet 23 of the receiving compartment 2 and the first air inlet 13 of the housing 1. As shown in fig. 3A, when the partition 3 is in the first position, the second portion 32 is located between the first inlet port 13 and the second inlet port 23 and closes the second inlet port 23. As shown in fig. 3B, in the second position of the spacer 3, the second portion 32 exposes the second intake port 23 so that the second intake port 23 communicates with the first intake port 13. A second through hole 321 is provided in the second portion 32, and when the spacer 3 is in the second position, the second through hole 321 is aligned with the first inlet port 13 and the second inlet port 23, so that the first inlet port 13 communicates with the second inlet port 23. The alignment may be perfect alignment or may be offset alignment.

By means of the first portion 31 arranged between the channel 11 and the opening 21 and the second portion 32 arranged between the first inlet 13 and the second inlet 23, sealing of the opening 21 and communication of the opening 21 is achieved by moving the partition 3, so that the receiving compartment 2 can be kept fixed relative to the housing 1 in order to increase the stability of the receiving compartment 2.

In some embodiments, the opening 21 of the receiving compartment 2 may be sealed by providing the spacer 3, the receiving compartment 2, and the housing 1 in a dimensional relationship such that the housing 1 has an interference fit with the receiving compartment 2 and the spacer 3 such that the spacer 3 is tightly seated against the receiving compartment 2. For example, the sum of height H1 of containment compartment 2, height H2 of first portion 31 of partition 3 and height H3 of second portion 32 is greater than or equal to height H4 (shown in FIG. 3A) of cavity 18 (shown in FIG. 2) of casing 1 for housing partition 3 and containment compartment 2, i.e., H1+ H2+ H3 ≧ H4, to achieve an interference fit between casing 1 and partition 3 and containment compartment 2 to better seal the opening of containment compartment 2.

The spacer 3 may also comprise a third portion 33 connecting the first portion 31 and the second portion 32, for abutting against the outer surface of the containment compartment 2 when the spacer 3 is in the second position, so as to ensure the alignment of the first through hole 311 with the opening 21 and with the passage 11, and the alignment of the second through hole 321 with the first air inlet 13 and with the second air inlet 23, in the second position. Furthermore, the third portion 33 also facilitates the user to press the spacer 3, thereby simplifying the operation of the inhalation device 1000.

In use, a user presses the spacer 3 along the moving direction D (shown in fig. 3A and 3B) of the spacer 3, so that the first through hole 311 is aligned with the opening 21 and the passage 11, and the second through hole 321 is aligned with the first air inlet 13 and the second air inlet 23. At this time, the opening 21 communicates with the passage 11, and the first air inlet 13 communicates with the second air inlet 23, so that the user can inhale the powder in the opening 21 of the receiving chamber 2 into the body through the passage 11 through the mouthpiece 12.

Here, it should be noted that the first through hole 311 and the second through hole 321 shown in fig. 8 are provided in the vicinity of the urging sides of the first portion 31 and the second portion 32 of the spacer 3, respectively. This allows the spacer 3 to be moved from the first position to the second position by pressing, facilitating the user's application of force to the inhalation device 1000. It is to be understood that the first through hole 311 and/or the second through hole 321 may also be provided away from the force application side of the first part 31 and the second part 32 of the spacer 3, such that a user may move the spacer 3 from the first position to the second position by applying a pulling force.

Here, it should also be noted that the second portion 32 of the spacer 3 may be omitted in some embodiments. At this time, the second intake port 23 may be closed by the inner side surface of the casing 1. Further, when the spacer 3 includes the first portion 31 and the second portion 32, the third portion 33 of the spacer 3 may also be omitted. At this time, the opening 21 may be made to communicate with the passage 11 by moving the first portion 31 and the second portion 32, respectively.

Further, it should also be noted that the first through hole 311 of the first portion 31 may be omitted. At this time, the opening 21 of the accommodation compartment 2 can be exposed by pulling out the first portion 31 of the spacer 3. Likewise, the second through hole 321 of the second portion 32 may also be omitted, also by pulling out the second portion 32 of the spacer 3 to make the first inlet port 13 communicate with the second inlet port 23.

With continued reference to fig. 8, in order to increase the closeness between the channel 11 and the spacer 3, at least one second rib 34 may be provided on the surface of the spacer 3 facing the inner side of the housing 1 for abutting against the inner side of the housing 1. The second ribs 22 may be annular in shape, but may also be other shapes, such as linear. The second rib 34 having a ring shape may be disposed around the first through hole 311, and the second rib 34 having a straight line shape may be disposed along the edge of the first portion 31 of the spacer 3. By providing the second ribs 34, the surface contact of the passage 11 with the spacer 3 can be changed to line contact, and the closeness between the spacer 3 in the second position and the passage 11 of the housing 1 can be increased, thereby facilitating the inhalation of the powder and avoiding the leakage of the powder during inhalation. In some examples, the second rib 34 may be made of a rigid material. Alternatively, the second rib 34 may also be made of an elastic material (e.g., rubber). The ribs made of elastic material may increase the closure between the spacer 3 in the second position and the channel 11. Alternatively or additionally, a sealing ring may be provided on at least one of the surface of the first portion 31 facing the passage 11 and the respective inner side of the housing 1, thereby further increasing the closure between the spacer 3 and the passage 11.

Fig. 9 shows a partially enlarged view of the region c in fig. 3A. As shown in fig. 9, 3A and 3B, in order to prevent the spacer 3 from moving in an accidental situation, which could lead to a failure of the device, at least one first recess 35 can be provided on the spacer 3, at least one first projection 15 cooperating with the first recess 35 can be provided on the inner side of the housing 1, and the first projection 15 is received in the corresponding first recess 35 when the spacer 3 is in the first position, and the first projection 15 is arranged outside the first recess 35 when the spacer 3 is in the second position. In some examples, when the spacer 3 is in the first position, the first protrusion 15 and the first groove 35 are engaged with each other, and at this time, the engagement relationship of the first protrusion 15 and the first groove 35 may be set such that there is a gap between the top surface of the first protrusion 15 and the bottom surface of the first groove 35 to reduce the friction between the top surface of the first protrusion 15 and the bottom surface of the first groove 35, thereby reducing the pressing force on the spacer 3 when the inhalation device is activated. When the first groove 35 is provided on the first portion 31 and the second portion 32 of the spacer 3, respectively, as shown in fig. 3A, the first projection 15 is provided on the inner side face of the housing 1 opposite to the first portion 31 and the inner side face opposite to the second portion 32, respectively. At this time, the vertical distance W1 of the top surfaces of the two first protrusions 15 is greater than the vertical distance W2 of the bottom surfaces of the two first grooves 35. Here, it should be noted that although 2 first grooves 35 are shown in fig. 3A, respectively provided on the first portion 31 and the second portion 32 of the spacer 3, it is understood that 1, 3, or 4, etc. first grooves 35 may be provided, which are provided on the first portion 31 of the spacer 3, or the second portion 32 of the spacer 3, or respectively provided on both, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Accordingly, the first protrusions 15 corresponding to the number of the first grooves 35 (e.g., 1, 3, 4, etc.) may be provided in one-to-one correspondence with the first grooves 35. Alternatively, a plurality of first projections 15 may be arranged side by side and received in an elongated first recess 35. Alternatively or additionally, as shown in fig. 2, an elongated first projection 15 may be provided, which is received in an elongated first recess 35. Additionally or alternatively, the first projection 15 can also be provided on the spacer 3, and correspondingly, the first recess 35 can also be provided on the inner side of the housing 1 or on the outer surface of the receiving compartment 2.

When the first groove 35 is disposed close to the force application side of the spacer 3, the first side surface 151 of the first projection 15 opposite to the accommodation compartment 2 is disposed perpendicular to the moving direction D of the spacer 3, so that the first projection 15 can block the spacer 3 by the straight engagement surface, thereby preventing the spacer 3 from moving toward the non-pressing direction (i.e., the direction opposite to the moving direction D) to cause failure. Accordingly, the second side 152 of the first protrusion 15 opposite to the first side 151 is disposed to be inclined toward the moving direction D of the spacer 3, that is, the height of the second side 152 of the first protrusion 15 gradually increases along the moving direction D. Accordingly, the shape of the first groove 35 matches the first protrusion 15. This facilitates, on the one hand, the pressing of the spacer 3 towards the containment compartment 2 (i.e. along the direction of movement D) and, on the other hand, prevents the suction device 1000 from being triggered in an accidental situation (for example: in the event of a fall, in transit, etc.), thus causing the suction device 1000 to fail.

Fig. 10 shows a schematic view of an inhalation device 2000 according to another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; figure 11A shows a longitudinal section of the inhalation device 2000 of figure 10 with the spacer 3a in a first position; fig. 11B shows a longitudinal section through the inhalation device 2000 of fig. 10, wherein the spacer 3a has been pulled out. As shown in fig. 10 to 12, the inhalation device 2000 includes a housing 1a, a housing compartment 2a, and a spacer 3 a; figure 12 shows an exploded view of the inhalation device 1000 of figure 10. Therein, as in the embodiment of fig. 1A, the housing 1A also comprises a passage 11A for the inhaled powder. The accommodation compartment 2a is disposed within the housing 1a and includes an opening 21a for communicating with the passage 11a, the opening 21a being maintained in alignment with the passage 11 a. The spacer 3a is configured to be movable between a first position and a second position with respect to the accommodation compartment 2 a. As shown in fig. 11A, when the spacer 3a is in the first position, the first portion 31A of the spacer 3a is positioned between the opening 21A and the passage 11A to close the opening 21A of the accommodation compartment 2a so that the opening 21A is not in communication with the passage 11A. As shown in fig. 11B, in the second position of the spacer 3a, the spacer 3a exposes the opening 21a of the accommodation compartment 2a, placing the opening 21a in communication with the passage 11 a. By the above structural features, not only can the manufacturing and assembling processes be simplified and the manufacturing and assembling costs be reduced, but also simple, reliable, safe, stable, and effective administration can be achieved.

It should be noted here that the cross section of the opening 21a of the receiving compartment 2a can be circular (as shown in fig. 12). Alternatively, the cross section of the opening 21a may also be provided in an oval shape, a square shape, or the like. In addition, the longitudinal section of the opening 21A of the accommodation chamber 2a may be designed to be cylindrical (as shown in fig. 11A and 11B), trapezoidal, funnel-shaped, or the like. The longitudinal section of the passage 11a of the housing 1a may be a trapezoid gradually opening toward the nozzle 12 a. Alternatively, the longitudinal section of the channel 11a can be designed cylindrical, funnel-shaped, etc. The cross-section of the channel 11a of the housing 1a can be designed to be circular (as shown in fig. 12), oval, square, etc. It should be noted here that the cross-sectional shapes of the passage 11a and the opening 21a may be the same or different. Similarly, the longitudinal cross-sectional shapes of the passage 11a and the opening 21a may be the same or different.

Further, it should be noted that the alignment of the opening 21a of the accommodation compartment 2a with the passage 11a of the housing 1a may be either a perfect alignment (i.e., the axis of the opening 21a is perfectly aligned with the axis of the passage 11 a) or an offset alignment (i.e., the axis of the opening 21a is slightly offset aligned with the axis of the passage 11 a).

With continued reference to fig. 11A and 11B, the accommodation compartment 2a further includes a second air inlet 23a for introducing air into the interior of the accommodation compartment 2a, the second air inlet 23a being provided on the side of the accommodation compartment 2a opposite to the opening 21A. The second inlet 23a can be designed as a very narrow slit to prevent powder from leaking during powder filling. The cross section of the second air inlet 23a may be provided in a narrow oval shape, a circular shape, a square shape, or the like. As shown in fig. 11A and 11B, the second air inlet 23a may also be designed in a funnel shape that flares toward the inside of the housing compartment 2a, i.e., the walls of the second air inlet 23a are initially parallel and then gradually flair outward. The funnel-shaped second inlet port 23a may allow powder to clog the funnel, thereby preventing powder from leaking out of the second inlet port 23 a. Further, although only one second air inlet 23a is shown in fig. 11A and 11B, it is understood that the accommodation compartment 2a may be provided with a plurality of second air inlets 23a (e.g., 2, 3, 4, etc.).

Fig. 13 shows a schematic view of the accommodation compartment 2a in fig. 12. In order to increase the closure between the accommodation compartment 2a and the spacer 3a, a first rib 22a surrounding the opening 21a can be provided on the surface of the accommodation compartment 2a facing the spacer 3a for abutting against the surface of the spacer 3 a. The first rib 22a may be annular in shape, but may also be other shapes, such as linear. By providing the first rib 22a, the surface contact of the containing compartment 2a and the spacer 3a can be changed into line contact, which can promote sealing of the opening 21a of the containing compartment 2a by the spacer 3a in the first position to prevent the powder from being wetted on the one hand, and can increase the closeness between the opening 21a and the passage 11a on the other hand, to promote inhalation of the powder, prevent leakage of the powder during inhalation, thus promoting powder delivery and increasing powder delivery stability. In some examples, the first rib 22a may be made of a rigid material. Alternatively, the first rib 22a may also be made of an elastic material (e.g., rubber). The ribs made of elastic material can increase the tightness between the spacer 3a and the opening 21a in the first position and the closure between the opening 21a and the channel 11 a. Alternatively or additionally, sealing rings may be provided on the surface of the accommodation compartment 2a facing the partition 3a, in order to further increase the tightness between the partition 3a and the opening 21a and the closure between the opening 21a and the passage 11 a.

Figure 14 shows a transverse cross-sectional view of the inhalation device 2000 of figure 10. As shown in fig. 14, in order to keep the accommodation compartment 2a and the housing 1a relatively fixed in the radial direction, a snap structure 4a may be provided between the accommodation compartment 2a and the housing 1 a. As shown in fig. 14, the snap structure 4a may be at least one pair of protrusions abutting against each other respectively provided on the outer side surface of the accommodation compartment 2a and the inner side surface of the housing 1 a. The third projection 26a on the accommodation compartment 2a abuts against the fourth projection 17a of the housing 1a in the movement direction E to avoid that the spacer 3a, during pulling in the movement direction E, carries the accommodation compartment 2a along and thereby affects the alignment between the opening 21a and the channel 11 a. The third projection 26a may be an elongated projection extending in the height direction of the housing compartment 2a, and the fourth projection 17a may be a plurality of shorter projections arranged in a straight line (as can be clearly seen from fig. 16 and 20A). Alternatively, the third convex portion 26a may be a plurality of shorter convex portions arranged in a straight line, and the fourth convex portion 17a may be one longer convex portion. And it is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Furthermore, a plurality of third projections 26a may be provided on the opposite outer side surface of the accommodation compartment 2a, and correspondingly, a plurality of fourth projections 17a corresponding to the plurality of third projections 26a may be provided on the inner side surface of the housing 1 a. It is to be understood that the present disclosure is not so limited.

Figure 15 shows a top view of the inhalation device 2000 of figure 10. As shown in fig. 15, the passage 11a of the housing 1a may be provided with a smaller orifice 111a on the side opposite to the spacer 3a, so as to keep a smaller amount of powder passing during inhalation of the powder, thereby promoting impact or atomization of the powder. The features of the orifice 111a are the same as those of the orifice 111 in the inhalation device of figure 1 and will not be described again here. Also, in the present embodiment, in order to further promote the air circulation inside the inhalation device 2000, at least one through hole may be provided on the side wall of the housing 1a surrounding the channel 11a, so that when the user inhales the powder in the containing compartment 2a, more air will be replenished into the inhalation air flow through the at least one through hole, thereby facilitating the user's inhalation and promoting the impaction or atomization of the powder.

Fig. 16 shows a schematic view of the housing 1a in fig. 12; figure 17A shows another longitudinal section of the inhalation device 2000 of figure 10, wherein the spacer 3a is in the first position; FIG. 17B shows an enlarged view of region d in FIG. 17A; fig. 18A shows another longitudinal section of the inhalation device 2000 in fig. 10, wherein the spacer 3a has been pulled out; fig. 18B shows an enlarged view of the region e in fig. 18A. As shown in fig. 16 to 18B, an elastic member 16 (as clearly seen in fig. 16) may be further provided on the inner side surface of the case 1 a. When the spacer 3a is in the first position, the elastic member 16 is pressed between the accommodation compartment 2a and the housing 1a (as shown in fig. 17A and 17B). At this time, the opening 21a of the accommodation compartment 2a is closed by the spacer 3a, and the second air inlet 23a of the accommodation compartment 2a is closed by the inner side surface of the case 1 a. When the spacer 23a is in the second position, the elastic member 16 biases the accommodation compartment 2a against the passage 11a (as shown in fig. 18A and 18B). At this time, the receiving compartment 2a has a certain distance from the elastic member 16 of the housing 1a to form a side opening for air to enter the inside of the housing 1a, i.e., the first air inlet 13 a. Thereby, the communication of the second air inlet 23a of the accommodation compartment 2a with the first air inlet 13a is formed to allow the user to create air circulation in the inhalation device when inhalation force is applied to the mouthpiece 12a, thereby enabling the powder to smoothly pass through the passage 11a to the user's body.

Fig. 19 is a schematic view of the spacer 3a in fig. 12; figure 20A is a further longitudinal cross-sectional view of the inhalation device of figure 10; fig. 20B is an enlarged view of a region f in fig. 20A. As shown in fig. 19 to 20B, the spacer 3a is configured to move in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the opening 21a with respect to the housing compartment 2a to facilitate the user to move the spacer 3 a. It should be understood here that the spacer 3a may also be configured to be movable obliquely upward or obliquely downward with respect to the accommodation compartment 2 a. In order to prevent the spacer 3a from moving in an accidental case, causing the device to fail, at least one second projection 35a (for example, 1, 2, 3, etc.) may be provided on the spacer 3a, at least one second recess 24 cooperating with the second projection 35a may be provided on the outer surface of the housing compartment 2a, and the second projection 35a is housed in the corresponding second recess 24 when the spacer 3a is in the first position, and the second projection 35a is arranged outside the second recess 24 when the spacer 3a is in the second position. In some examples, the second protrusions 35a may be provided in a number corresponding to the number of the second grooves 24 such that the second protrusions 35a correspond one-to-one to the second grooves 24. In addition, a plurality of second protrusions 35a may be arranged side by side and received in one elongated second recess 35 a. Alternatively or additionally, an elongated second projection 35a may be provided, which is received in the elongated second recess 24. Alternatively or additionally, the second protrusion 35a may also be provided on the outer surface of the accommodation compartment 2a or the inner surface of the housing 1a, and correspondingly, the second groove 24 may also be provided on the surface of the spacer 3 a.

When the second groove 24 is arranged close to the force application side of the spacer 3a, the third side surface 241 of the second groove 24, which is opposite to the spacer 3a at the first position, is provided to be inclined toward the moving direction E of the spacer 3a, that is, the depth of the third side surface 241 gradually decreases along the moving direction E. Accordingly, the shape of the second projection 35a matches the second groove 24. This facilitates on the one hand the extraction of the spacer element 3a from the containment compartment 2a (i.e. along the direction of movement E) and on the other hand prevents the suction device 2000 from being triggered in an accidental situation (for example: in the event of a fall, a transport or the like), thus causing the suction device 2000 to fail. Further, a fourth side face 242 of the second groove 24 opposite to the third side face 241 is provided perpendicular to the moving aspect E of the spacer 3a, so that the second groove 24 can block the spacer 3a by the straight engaging face, thereby preventing the spacer 3a from moving toward the non-extracting direction (i.e., the non-moving direction Aa) to cause the suction device 2000 to fail.

The spacer 3a may also include a hand grip 32a rotatably connected to the first portion 31a to facilitate movement of the spacer 3a by a user. When the spacer 3a is in the first position, the first portion 31a of the spacer 3a is located between the opening 21a of the accommodation compartment 2a and the passage 11a of the housing 1a, and the hand-held portion 32a is arranged vertically downward, as shown in fig. 21.

Here, it should be noted that the hand-held portion 32a of the spacer 3a may be omitted in some embodiments. At this time, a convex portion for holding by hand may be provided on the urging side of the first portion 31a of the spacer 3 a.

In the normal state, the spacer 3a is in the first position between the opening 21a of the accommodation compartment 2a and the passage 11a of the housing 1a to close the opening 21a and cause the elastic member 16 to be pressed between the accommodation compartment 2a and the housing 1 a. In use, the user rotates the vertically downward spacer 3a to the horizontal position (as shown in fig. 21), and then pulls out the spacer 3a from between the opening 21a and the passage 11a in the moving direction E. At this time, the elastic member 16 springs up to bias the accommodation compartment 2a against the passage 11a of the housing 1a, so that the opening 21a communicates with the passage 11 a. At this time, the offset accommodation chamber 2a causes the housing 1a to be laterally opened (i.e., the first air inlet 13a) such that the first air inlet 13a communicates with the second air inlet 23a, thereby allowing the user to inhale the powder in the opening 21a of the accommodation chamber 2a into the body through the passage 11a through the mouthpiece 12 a.

Here, it should be noted that some components and features in the

inhalation devices

1000 and 2000 according to the present disclosure may be omitted, or may be equivalently replaced or added with each other. For example, the spacer 3 of the inhalation device 1000 may replace the spacer 3a of the inhalation device 2000; the spring member 16 in the inhalation device 2000 may be attached to the inhalation device 1000; the catch structure 4a on the inhalation device 2000 and the catch structure 4 on the inhalation device 1000 may be replaced with each other, etc. As another example, the shape and size characteristics of the second air inlet 23, the orifice 111, and the opening 21 in the inhaler 1000 may be respectively added to the second air inlet 23a, the orifice 111a, and the opening 21a of the inhaler 2000; the mating relationship of the first projection 15 and the first recess 35 in the inhaler 1000 can be added to the mating relationship of the second projection 35a and the second recess 24.

The above description is only an example or embodiment of the present disclosure, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure, and all modifications and equivalents made by the disclosure and the accompanying drawings, or directly/indirectly applied to other related technical fields, are included in the scope of the present disclosure. Various elements in the embodiments or examples may be omitted or may be replaced with equivalents thereof. Further, the steps may be performed in an order different from that described in the present disclosure. Further, various elements in the embodiments or examples may be combined in various ways. It is important that as technology evolves, many of the elements described herein may be replaced with equivalent elements that appear after the present disclosure.

Claims

1. An inhalation device, characterized in that it comprises:

a housing comprising a passage for inhalation of a powder;

a containment compartment disposed within the housing and including an opening for communicating with the channel, the opening remaining aligned with the channel; and

a spacer configured to be movable relative to the containment compartment between a first position in which a first portion of the spacer is positioned between the opening and the passage to close the opening of the containment compartment from communicating with the passage and a second position in which the spacer exposes the opening of the containment compartment to communicate with the passage.

2. The inhalation device according to claim 1, wherein a first through hole is provided in the first portion and is aligned with the opening and the channel when the spacer is in the second position.

3. An inhalation device according to claim 2, wherein a first rib surrounding the first through hole is provided on the surface of the first part facing the channel for abutting against an inner side of the housing.

4. The inhalation device according to claim 1, wherein the spacer is configured to move in a direction perpendicular to an axial direction of the opening with respect to the accommodation compartment.

5. The inhalation device of claim 1, wherein the housing further comprises a first air inlet for introducing air into the housing interior, the containment compartment further comprises a second air inlet for introducing air into the containment compartment interior, and the first air inlet is in communication with the second air inlet when the spacer is in the second position.

6. The inhalation device of claim 5, wherein the second air inlet is disposed on an opposite side of the containment compartment from the opening, and the first air inlet is maintained in alignment with the second air inlet.

7. The inhalation device of claim 6, wherein the spacer further comprises a second portion, in the first position, the second portion is positioned between the first air inlet and the second air inlet and closes the second air inlet, and in the second position, the second portion exposes the second air inlet, allowing the second air inlet to communicate with the first air inlet.

8. The inhalation device according to claim 7, wherein the spacer further comprises a third portion connecting the first portion and the second portion for abutting against an outer surface of the containment compartment in the second position.

9. The inhalation device of claim 7, wherein a second through hole is provided in the second portion and is aligned with the first air inlet and the second air inlet when the spacer is in the second position.

10. The inhalation device of claim 7, wherein the containment compartment remains fixed relative to the housing.

11. The inhalation device of claim 5, wherein the spacer further comprises a hand piece rotatably connected to the first portion.

12. The inhalation device according to claim 11, wherein a resilient member is provided on an inner side of the housing and is compressed between the pod and the housing when the spacer member is in the first position and biases the pod against the channel when the spacer member is in the second position.

13. The inhalation device of claim 12, wherein when the spacer is in the first position, the inner side of the housing closes the second air inlet.

14. An inhalation device according to any one of claims 6 to 10, wherein at least one first recess is provided on the spacer, at least one first projection cooperating with the first recess is provided on the inner side of the housing, and the first projection is received in the respective first recess when the spacer is in the first position and is arranged outside the first recess when the spacer is in the second position.

15. The inhalation device according to claim 14, wherein a first side of the first projection opposite to the accommodation compartment is provided to be perpendicular to a moving direction of the spacer, and a second side of the first projection opposite to the first side is provided to be inclined toward the moving direction of the spacer.

16. An inhalation device according to any of claims 11 to 13, wherein at least one second projection is provided on the spacer and at least one second recess is provided on the outer surface of the containment compartment which cooperates with the second projection and the second projection is received in the respective second recess when the spacer is in the first position and the second projection is disposed outside the second recess when the spacer is in the second position.

17. The inhalation device according to claim 16, wherein when the spacer is in the second position, a third side of the second groove opposite to the spacer is disposed to be inclined toward a moving direction of the spacer, and a fourth side of the second groove opposite to the third side is disposed to be perpendicular to the moving direction of the spacer.

18. An inhalation device according to any of claims 1 to 10, wherein a second rib surrounding the opening is provided on the surface of the containment compartment facing the spacer for abutting against the surface of the spacer.

19. An inhalation device according to any of claims 1 to 13, wherein the containment compartment and the housing are connected by a snap-fit arrangement.

20. An inhalation device according to any of claims 1 to 13, wherein the airflow rate within the inhalation device is from 22 to 28 litres/min at a suction pressure of 2 kilopascals, from 34 to 40 litres/min at a suction pressure of 4 kilopascals and from 42 to 48 litres/min at a suction pressure of 6 kilopascals.

21. The inhalation device according to claim 2, wherein the size of the first through hole is larger than or equal to the size of the opening.

22. The inhalation device according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein the sum of the height of the accommodation compartment, the height of the first portion and the height of the second portion is greater than or equal to the height of a cavity of the housing for accommodating the spacer and the accommodation compartment.

23. The inhalation device of claim 14, wherein when the spacer is in the first position, a top surface of the first projection is clear of a bottom surface of the first recess.

24. The inhalation device of claim 16, wherein when the spacer is in the first position, a top surface of the second projection is clear of a bottom surface of the second recess.