Development of vibrating mesh nebulizer device

Nebulizing therapy has been an efficient method for the treatment of patients suffering from pulmonary diseases. In the nebulization treatment, medical solutions and suspensions are transformed into aerosol particles and delivered directly to the patients' airways by the nebulizer. There are three types of nebulizers; jet nebulizers, ultrasonic nebulizers, and mesh nebulizers. Jet nebulizers have disadvantages of bulk in size and requiring a power source to operate, whereas ultrasonic nebulizers generate large residual volume, unable to aerosolize viscous solutions, and cannot be used for heat-sensitive solutions. In this thesis, in order not to encounter these disadvantages, a vibrating mesh nebulizer device by using the microcontroller and micropore mesh plate has been proposed. The design of the device consists of an electronic circuit that generates an analog signal with the specific voltage, frequency, and waveform in order to drive the micropore mesh plate. When the signal is generated, the mesh plate vibrates at a very high rate of speed and the liquid medication is drawn from the holes perforated on the mesh plate. The vibrating mesh nebulizer developed in this study has advantages in terms of compact size, portable, silent operation, low frequency, low power consumption, generates less residual volume, and can also be used for heat-sensitive solutions.