JPS6078660A - Ultrasonic atomizing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To arbitrarily select atomized particles having various particle sizes, by mounting a plurality of ultrasonic vibrators having different resonance frequencies, and arbitrarily selecting the vibrator to be vibrated by an operating ultrasonic vibrator setting means. CONSTITUTION:A liquid medium transmitting vibration energy is received in an outer tank and water or chemical solution to be atomized is put in an inner tank 2. A plurality of units having ultrasonic vibrators 4 having different resonance frequencies are formed to the bottom part of the outer tank 1 and an arbitrary vibrator 4 is vibrated by an operating ultrasonic vibrator setting means 12. By this method, atomized particles having various particle sizes are obtained and deposited with good efficiency only to necessary part corresponding to symptoms.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (a) Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultrasonic atomizer, and particularly to an ultrasonic atomizer equipped with a plurality of ultrasonic transducers.

(b) Prior art and its problems In general, in aerosol therapy, the part of the respiratory tract where the atomized liquid tends to deposit depends on the size of the particles, with large particles depositing in the upper respiratory tract and small particles depositing in the upper respiratory tract. It is said to be deposited in the lower respiratory tract (bronchus) and alveoli. Therefore, even if the same aerosol treatment is performed,
It is desirable to inhale atomized particles with different particle sizes depending on whether the affected area is the nose, throat, lungs, etc. Depending on the patient, it may be convenient to be able to treat the atomized particles effectively and efficiently if the atomized particles can be deposited on any part of the body, such as only the nose, only the throat, or even the nose and throat, or the throat and lungs. be.

However, conventional ultrasonic atomization devices (inhalers) only include a single ultrasonic transducer, so the atomized particles also
The vibration frequency is determined by the vibration frequency, and it has not been possible to provide detailed and effective treatment depending on the patient and area.

(c) Purpose of the Invention The purpose of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks of conventional ultrasonic atomization devices, to obtain atomized particles having various particle sizes, and to provide a method that allows the particle size of the atomized particles to be arbitrarily selected. An object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic atomization device that obtains the desired results.

(d) Structure and effect of the invention In order to achieve the above object, the ultrasonic atomization device of the present invention includes an outer tank for storing a medium liquid, and an inner tank housed within the outer tank for storing a liquid to be atomized. , a plurality of ultrasonic transducers each having a different resonance frequency provided at the bottom of the outer tank, a circuit for driving these ultrasonic transducers, and selection of operation/non-operation of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers. and an operating ultrasonic transducer setting means for inputting a specific specification, so that only the ultrasonic transducer specified and set by the operating ultrasonic transducer setting means is vibrated.

According to the ultrasonic atomization device of the present invention, it is provided with a plurality of ultrasonic transducers having different resonance frequencies, and the ultrasonic transducer to be vibrated can be arbitrarily selected by the operating ultrasonic transducer setting means. You can vibrate only one ultrasonic vibrator to obtain atomized particles with a single target particle size, or you can vibrate any ultrasonic vibrator in combination to obtain particles with different sizes. It is also possible to obtain mixed atomized particles, and the atomized particles can be efficiently deposited only in the necessary areas according to the patient's symptoms.

(e) Description of Examples The present invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to Examples.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an ultrasonic inhaler showing one embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes an outer tank, and water is contained in the outer tank 1 as a liquid medium for transmitting vibrational energy.

2 is an inner tank, into which water, chemical solution, etc. to be atomized are put.

On the top surface of this inner tank 2, there is a ventilation port 2a that receives wind from a ventilation fan (not shown) and an output port 2 that outputs the atomized liquid.
It is equipped with b. Furthermore, the bottom portion 2C of the inner tank 2, which is made up of a diaphragm, forms a downwardly convex curved surface, so that the atomization effect is performed approximately at the center of the tank.

The bottom 1a of the outer tank 1 is formed into a mortar shape, and three holes 1b are provided at the center of the slope, and an ultrasonic transducer uni-nod 3 is placed in each hole 1b. . These ultrasonic transducer unit throats 3 are composed of an ultrasonic transducer 4, a rubber ring 5, a transducer presser 6, and an electrode fitting 7. Each ultrasonic transducer 4 is located at the bottom 1a of the outer tank l.
They are arranged on concentric circles equidistant from the center of the inner tank 2, and their vibration surfaces are parallel to a plane in contact with the curved surface of the bottom 2C of the inner tank 2.

8 is an electronic circuit section including a drive circuit, a control CPU, a power supply circuit, etc., and the electrode fitting 7 of the ultrasonic transducer 4 is connected to the drive circuit of this circuit section 8 by a lead wire.

The block diagram of the main parts of the electronic circuit 8 excluding the power supply circuit is shown in the second figure.
Shown in the figure. 9a, 9b, and 9c are drive circuits for driving the ultrasonic transducers 4a, 4b, and 4C, respectively, and include an oscillation circuit.

The ultrasonic transducers 4a, 4b, and 4C have resonance frequencies of 0.76 MHz, 1.4 Mllz, and 2.8 M, respectively.
A different one than Ilz is used.

103% 10 bs 10 c are analog switches, and when these analog switches are turned on, the power supply voltage V is supplied to the corresponding drive circuits 9a, 9b, and 9C, and the drive circuits operate to generate the corresponding ultrasonic waves. Vibrator 4a,
4b and 4C are designed to vibrate.

11 is a CP that outputs signals Sa, Sb, and Sc for turning on the analog switches 10a, 10b, and 10C individually;
U (microprocessor).

12a, 12b, and 12c are ultrasonic transducers 4a, respectively.
, 4b, and 4C to vibrate them (operational ultrasonic transducer setting means). CPUII
outputs one of the signals Sa, Sb, Sc depending on the on/off status of these selection switches 12a, 12b, 12C, and outputs one of the signals Sa, Sb, Sc,
can be turned on selectively.

Reference numeral 13 denotes a timer which outputs a clock signal T, which is received by the CPU II, which controls the pulse widths of the signals 5aXSb and Sc.

FIG. 3 shows the operation parts on the side surface of the case of the ultrasonic inhaler according to the above embodiment, and 14a, 14b, and 14G are the slide buttons of the selection switches 12a, 12b, and 12C, 15 is the knob of the timer 13, and 16 is the power supply. It's a switch button.

After turning on the power switch button 16, slide the selection switch 12a to 14a, 14b, 14c:
0.76MHz, depending on which one is turned on.
The ultrasonic transducers 4a, 4b, and 4C of 1.4M11z and 2.8Mllz can be arbitrarily selected and vibrated.

Next, the operation of the ultrasonic inhaler according to the above embodiment will be explained with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. In addition, in FIG. 4, the selection switches 12a, 12b, 12c are replaced by ASa, A3b,
ASC is an analog switch Ila, llb.

11C respectively.

When the power switch button 16 is pressed and the power is turned on with the medium liquid in the outer tank 1 and the liquid to be atomized in the inner tank 2, the operation starts.

Assuming that all the selection switches 12a, 12b, and 12C are currently turned on, the CPU II determines in step ST (hereinafter abbreviated as ST) 1 whether or not the selection switch 1.2a is turned on. is YES, so in the next Sr1, the power supply voltage +V is applied to the drive circuit 9a by the signal Sa, and the drive circuit 9a is energized. Then, the 0.76 MHz ultrasonic vibrator 4a vibrates. This vibration is transmitted to the medicinal solution in the inner tank 2 through the medium/body fluid, atomized, and atomized particles with a relatively large diameter are released. Simultaneously with turning on the analog switch 10a at Sr1, the timer 13 is activated. Then, the analog switch 10a is turned on and the ultrasonic transducer 4a continues to vibrate until the timer 13 performs a time amplification (Sr1.5T4).

When the timer 13 times up, Sr5 turns off the analog switch 10a. As a result, the ultrasonic transducer 4
The vibration of a stops. Next, press selection switch 1 with Sr6.
It is determined whether or not 2b is on, but this determination is also Y.
Since it is ES, the CPU 11 outputs the signal Sb at Sr1,
Turn on the analog switch 10b. This in turn energizes the drive circuit 9b, causing the 1.4 MHz ultrasonic vibrator 4b to vibrate. Atomization of the chemical solution is similarly performed by this vibration, and medium-sized atomized particles are sent out. The vibration of the ultrasonic transducer 4b also continues until the timer 13, which is started at the same time as the analog switch 10b is turned on, times up (Sr8.5T9).

When the timer 13 times up, the analog switch 10b is turned off at 5TIO. This causes the ultrasonic transducer 4b to stop vibrating. Subsequently, it is determined at 5TII whether the selection switch 12G is on, and since this determination is also YES, the CPU 1 outputs the signal Sc at 5T12 and turns on the analog switch IOC. As a result, the 2.8 Mllz ultrasonic transducer 4C now becomes
It vibrates in the same manner as the ultrasonic vibrators 4a, 4b, and 4C, performs atomization, and sends out small-diameter atomized particles. The vibration of the ultrasonic transducer 4C continues until the timer 13 times up (ST13.5T14), at which point the analog switch 10C is turned off (ST13.5T14).
T15), the vibration stops.

Then, other processing (ST16) is performed, the process returns, and then the processing from STI to 5T16 is performed again, and the vibrations of the ultrasonic transducers 4a, 4b, and 4C are performed sequentially at each time set by the timer 13, i.e. repeated in time division.

Therefore, atomized particles having different particle sizes, such as large, medium, and small, are sequentially delivered, and by inhaling these atomized particles, the drug solution can be deposited throughout the respiratory tract.

When it is not necessary to vibrate only the ultrasonic vibrator 4C among the three ultrasonic vibrators 4a, 4b, and 4C, that is, when it is not necessary to obtain small-diameter atomized particles, the selection switch 12
The operation can be started by turning on the switches a and 12b and turning off the selection switch 12C.

In this case, in the flowchart of FIG. 4, the determination at 5T11 is No, so the analog switch 10C is not turned on, and therefore the ultrasonic transducer 4C does not vibrate. Therefore, atomization by the ultrasonic transducers 4a and 4b is repeated alternately.

There is also another combination of ultrasonic transducers 4a and 40.
4b and 40 can be vibrated, and each ultrasonic vibrator 4a, 4b, and 4C can also be vibrated individually. The selection is made by selection switches 12a and 12b.
, 12c may be turned on and off as appropriate.

In the above embodiment, the time for turning on each analog switch, that is, the time for vibrating the ultrasonic transducer, is the same, but this time is set to a different value for each ultrasonic transducer in advance. You can leave it there.

Further, in the ultrasonic inhaler of the above embodiment, the number of ultrasonic vibrators and drive circuits is three, but of course the number is not limited to three, and may be two or four or more. Further, the drive circuit may be partially or entirely used for switching only the ultrasonic transducer depending on the case.

Further, in the ultrasonic inhaler of the above embodiment, each ultrasonic vibrator is made to vibrate sequentially in a time-sharing manner, but it may be made to vibrate simultaneously.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of an ultrasonic inhaler showing one embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the electronic circuit section of the ultrasonic inhaler, and Fig. 3 is an operating section of the ultrasonic inhaler. Figure 4 showing
The figure is a flow diagram for explaining the operation of the ultrasonic inhaler. 1: Outer tank, 1a: Bottom of outer tank, 2: Inner tank, 4a/4b4c: Ultrasonic vibrator, 9a9b
・9c: Drive circuit, tt: CPU. 12a12b12c: Selection switch patent applicant Tateishi Electric Co., Ltd. Agent Patent attorney Shigeru Nakamura

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) An outer tank for storing a medium liquid, and a container stored in this outer tank,
an inner tank for storing liquid to be atomized, a plurality of ultrasonic vibrators each having a different resonance frequency provided at the bottom of the outer tank, a circuit for driving these ultrasonic vibrators, and the plurality of ultrasonic vibrations. an ultrasonic transducer setting means for selectively inputting operation/non-operation of the child, and vibrates only the ultrasonic transducer specified by the ultrasonic transducer setting means; Atomization device.