INHALER WITH TWO MICROPHONES FOR DETECTION OF INHALATION FLOW Russian patent published in 2018 - IPC A61M15/00 

FIELD: medicine.

SUBSTANCE: group of inventions relates to medical equipment. System for estimating a flow in an inhaler comprises an inhaler for dispensing aerosol or a dry powder. Inhaler comprises a housing, a first sensor arranged at a first position of an external surface of the housing, and a second sensor arranged at a second position of the external surface of the housing. Sensors are arranged to sense sound or vibrations resulting from a flow in the flow path of the inhaler. Processor is arranged to process output signals from the sensors to generate a measure of flow in the flow path. First and second positions are spaced apart. First position is selected to have a shorter distance to the air inlet than the second position. Processor is arranged to classify events by analyzing the sound or vibrations sensed by the first and second sensors, so as to allow identification of priming event, firing event and inhalation event, and the distinction between priming and firing events, on one side, and the inhalation event, on the other side, based on the timing parameter determined from the start and end time of events, and the distinction between priming event, on one side, and firing event, on the other side, based on differences in sound power or vibrations detected by the first and second sensors. Method for estimating a flow in an inhaler and computer readable medium storing an executable program comprising a program code arranged to perform the method on a processor.

EFFECT: determination of the volume rate of flow in the inhaler while inhaling and exhaling.

15 cl, 18 dwg