Aerosol generators

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9522409-B2
Application number	US-201213720759-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2012
Priority date	Dec 21, 2011
Publication date	Dec 20, 2016
Grant date	Dec 20, 2016

Abstract

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 μm to 5.0 μm, in some cases from 0.2 μm to 2.0 μm. 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.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An aperture plate body having a plurality of apertures extending between a first surface and a second surface, the aperture plate body being formed from an electroformed palladium nickel alloy comprising about 89% of palladium and about 11% nickel and having a generally fine randomly oriented substantially equiaxed grain microstructure throughout the thickness of the aperture plate body, wherein an average grain width of the grain microstructure is from 0.2 μm to 2.0 μm.

2. An aperture plate body as claimed in claim 1 wherein an average grain width of the grain microstructure is from 0.2 μm to 1.0 μm.

3. An aperture plate body as claimed in claim 1 wherein an average grain width of the grain microstructure is approximately 0.5 μm.

4. An aperture plate body as claimed in claim 1 wherein the aperture plate body has a thickness of from 59 to 63 microns.

5. An aperture plate body as claimed in claim 1 which is domed-shaped in geometry.

6. An aerosol generator comprising an aperture plate body as claimed in claim 1 and a vibrator for vibrating the aperture plate body.

7. An aerosol generator as claimed in claim 6 wherein the vibrator is configured to vibrate the aperture plate body at a frequency of from 125 to 155 kHz.

8. An aperture plate body having a plurality of apertures extending between a first surface and a second surface, the aperture plate body being dome-shaped and comprising a palladium nickel alloy having a randomly oriented equiaxed grain microstructure throughout the thickness of the aperture plate body, wherein the aperture plate body includes a plurality of electroformed layers of material, wherein an average grain width of the grain microstructure is from 0.2 μm to 2.0 μm.

9. An aperture plate body as claimed in claim 8 wherein an average grain width of the grain microstructure is from 0.2 μm to 1.0 μm.

10. An aperture plate body as claimed in claim 8 wherein an average grain width of the grain microstructure is approximately 0.5 μm.

11. An aperture plate body as claimed in claim 8 wherein the aperture plate body has a thickness of from 59 to 63 microns.

Assignees

• Stamford Devices Ltd

Inventors

• Hogan Brendan
• Butan Daniela
• Clifford Seamus
• Pomeroy Michael
• Southern Mark
• Sheil David

Classifications

• B05B17/0646 Primary

  Vibrating plates, i.e. plates being directly subjected to the vibrations, e.g. having a piezoelectric transducer attached thereto · CPC title

• B05B17/06 Primary

  using ultrasonic {or other kinds of} vibrations · CPC title

• B05B17/0653

  Details · CPC title

• B05B17/0669

  Excitation frequencies · CPC title

• B05B15/18

  for improving resistance to wear, e.g. inserts or coatings; for indicating wear; for handling or replacing worn parts · CPC title