DESC:FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates to nebulizers and more particularly, relates to breath-actuated compact nebulizers.

BACKGROUND

As is generally known, a nebulizer is a device that converts liquid into a fine mist. The nebulizers are popularly used to administer medication to users, such as to asthma patients. Through the nebulizer, a medicine reaches the lungs of a user in a quicker manner as it is in the form of mist, which has a higher rate of penetrability than any other form. Accordingly, medication through the nebulizer ensures quick relief to the user.

In the recent times, jet nebulizers and mesh nebulizers have gained quite some popularity across the globe. In a jet nebulizer, a pressurized air source supplies high pressure air which flows through a nozzle where the air accelerates to high speed. Generally, the pressurized air source includes one of a pump, a compressor, and a wall source. Further, the nozzle may exist in form of an orifice or a Venturi, depending on construction of the jet nebulizer. The pressure near the nozzle is maintained to be lower than the pressure in a reservoir and consequently, liquid is drawn up through a liquid feed tube. The nozzle region is constructed such that the high-speed air flows over a short section of liquid surface supplied by the liquid feed tube. This region may be understood as primary droplet production region.

However, there are certain shortcomings associated with the jet nebulizer. For example, after the completion of the nebulization therapy, a significant amount of fluid remains in the reservoir resulting into significant wastage. Further, duration of therapy by the jet nebulizer is high, mainly, due to a low rate of conversion of liquid to mist, for example, of the order of ~ 0.2 ml/min.

A widely accepted alternative to the jet nebulizer is the mesh nebulizer. The mesh nebulizer is a device capable of converting liquid into mist by forcing the liquid through a mesh plate with multiple holes having diameters in the order of a few microns. However, the mesh nebulizers have their shortcomings as well. First of all, a mesh nebulizer can only be used for solutions, i.e., without any suspended particles. Therefore, the mesh nebulizer cannot be used for converting suspensions into mists. This is mainly because the suspended particles may get blocked by the fine holes of the mesh plate. Moreover, owing to small size of holes of the mesh plates, the possibility of their clogging is prominent. Accordingly, cleaning and maintenance of the mesh nebulizer pose a concern. Therefore, both the jet nebulizer and the mesh nebulizer come with their own set of shortcomings, which need to be addressed for developing improved nebulizers.

SUMMARY

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts, in a simplified format, that are further described in the detailed description of the invention. This summary is neither intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the invention and nor is it intended for determining the scope of the invention.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a compact nebulizer is disclosed. The compact nebulizer includes an automated liquid dispensing system adapted to dispense liquid and a spray generating block coupled to the automated liquid dispensing system. The spray generating block is adapted to convert the dispensed liquid into a spray to be inhaled by a user. The spray generating block includes a needle disposed on a needle holder and adapted to be operated as a liquid feed, a needle enclosure adapted to accommodate the needle holder, and a housing adapted to receive the needle enclosure such that a predefined gap is formed therebetween to guide air flow. The liquid feed from the needle and the air flow from the predefined gap are mixed to generate a spray to be inhaled by the user through an orifice.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, a spray generating block for a compact nebulizer is disclosed. The spray generating block includes a needle disposed on a needle holder and adapted to be operated as a liquid feed, a needle enclosure adapted to accommodate the needle holder, and a housing adapted to receive the needle enclosure such that a predefined gap is formed therebetween to guide air flow. The liquid feed from the needle and the air flow from the predefined gap are mixed to generate a spray to be inhaled by a user through an orifice.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, a compact nebulizer is disclosed. The compact nebulizer includes a syringe assembly adapted to dispense liquid and a spray generating block coupled to the syringe assembly. The spray generating block is adapted to convert the dispensed liquid into a spray to be inhaled by a user. The spray generating block includes a main block, a needle disposed in the main block and adapted to be operated as a liquid feed, and an air nozzle and an air connector pin disposed in the main block and adapted to guide the air out. The air nozzle and the needle are positioned such that the outgoing air jet and the impinging liquid jet, respectively, are perpendicular to each other.

In another embodiment of the present disclosure, a spray generating block for compact nebulizer is disclosed. The spray generating block includes a main block, a needle disposed in the main block and adapted to be operated as a liquid feed, and an air nozzle and an air connector pin disposed in the main block and adapted to guide the air out. The air nozzle and the needle are positioned such that the outgoing air jet and the impinging liquid jet, respectively, are perpendicular to each other.

To further clarify the advantages and features of the present invention, a more particular description of the invention will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which is illustrated in the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope. The invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of a breath-actuated compact nebulizer, according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 2 illustrates an exploded perspective view of a spray generating block of the breath-actuated compact nebulizer, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 3 illustrates an exploded sectional view of the spray generating block, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 4 illustrates an exploded perspective view of a liquid dispensing system of the breath-actuated compact nebulizer, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 5 illustrates an exploded sectional view of the liquid dispensing system, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 6 illustrates a perspective view of a portion of a breath-actuated compact nebulizer, according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figure 7 illustrates an exploded perspective view of the portion, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and
Figure 8 illustrates a perspective view of a syringe assembly of the breath-actuated compact nebulizer, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Further, skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the drawings are illustrated for simplicity and may not have been necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the flow charts illustrate the method in terms of the most prominent steps involved to help to improve understanding of aspects of the present invention. Furthermore, in terms of the construction of the device, one or more components of the device may have been represented in the drawings by conventional symbols, and the drawings may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the drawings with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having benefit of the description herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

For the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended, such alterations and further modifications in the illustrated system, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates. Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skilled in the art to which this invention belongs. The system, methods, and examples provided herein are illustrative only and not intended to be limiting.

For example, the term “some” as used herein may be understood as “none” or “one” or “more than one” or “all.” Therefore, the terms “none,” “one,” “more than one,” “more than one, but not all” or “all” would fall under the definition of “some.” It should be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that the terminology and structure employed herein is for describing, teaching and illuminating some embodiments and their specific features and elements and therefore, should not be construed to limit, restrict or reduce the spirit and scope of the claims or their equivalents in any way.

For example, any terms used herein such as, “includes,” “comprises,” “has,” “consists,” and similar grammatical variants do not specify an exact limitation or restriction, and certainly do not exclude the possible addition of one or more features or elements, unless otherwise stated. Further, such terms must not be taken to exclude the possible removal of one or more of the listed features and elements, unless otherwise stated, for example, by using the limiting language including, but not limited to, “must comprise” or “needs to include.”

Whether or not a certain feature or element was limited to being used only once, it may still be referred to as “one or more features” or “one or more elements” or “at least one feature” or “at least one element.” Furthermore, the use of the terms “one or more” or “at least one” feature or element do not preclude there being none of that feature or element, unless otherwise specified by limiting language including, but not limited to, “there needs to be one or more...” or “one or more element is required.”

Unless otherwise defined, all terms and especially any technical and/or scientific terms, used herein may be taken to have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person ordinarily skilled in the art.

Reference is made herein to some “embodiments.” It should be understood that an embodiment is an example of a possible implementation of any features and/or elements presented in the attached claims. Some embodiments have been described for the purpose of explaining one or more of the potential ways in which the specific features and/or elements of the attached claims fulfil the requirements of uniqueness, utility, and non-obviousness.

Use of the phrases and/or terms including, but not limited to, “a first embodiment,” “a further embodiment,” “an alternate embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “multiple embodiments,” “some embodiments,” “other embodiments,” “further embodiment”, “furthermore embodiment”, “additional embodiment” or other variants thereof do not necessarily refer to the same embodiments. Unless otherwise specified, one or more particular features and/or elements described in connection with one or more embodiments may be found in one embodiment, or may be found in more than one embodiment, or may be found in all embodiments, or may be found in no embodiments. Although one or more features and/or elements may be described herein in the context of only a single embodiment, or in the context of more than one embodiment, or in the context of all embodiments, the features and/or elements may instead be provided separately or in any appropriate combination or not at all. Conversely, any features and/or elements described in the context of separate embodiments may alternatively be realized as existing together in the context of a single embodiment.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

For the sake of clarity, the first digit of a reference numeral of each component of the present disclosure is indicative of the Figure number, in which the corresponding component is shown. For example, reference numerals starting with digit “1” are shown at least in Figure 1. Similarly, reference numerals starting with digit “2” are shown at least in Figure 2.

In an embodiment, a breath-actuated compact nebulizer having an air jet and a liquid jet in a coaxial arrangement is disclosed. The breath-actuated compact nebulizer generates a fine mist from solutions and suspensions, ensuring zero residual volume. In another embodiment, a breath-actuated compact nebulizer having an air jet and a liquid jet in a perpendicular arrangement is also disclosed.

Figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of a breath-actuated compact nebulizer 100, according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure. The breath-actuated compact nebulizer 100 may hereinafter interchangeably be referred to as the compact nebulizer 100, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In the present embodiment, the compact nebulizer 100 is constructed such that an air jet and a liquid jet are coaxial to each other, for generating a fine mist.

In particular, in the present embodiment, the compact nebulizer 100 may include, but is not limited to, an automated liquid dispensing system 102 and a spray generating block 104 coupled to the automated liquid dispensing system 102. As the names suggest, the automated liquid dispensing system 102 is adapted to dispense liquid. Further, the spray generating block 104 is adapted to convert the dispensed liquid into a spray or mist, which is to be inhaled by a user.

Figure 2 illustrates an exploded perspective view of the spray generating block 104, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In an embodiment, the spray generating block 104 may include, but is not limited to, a needle 202 disposed on a needle holder 204, a needle enclosure 206 adapted to accommodate the needle holder 204, and a housing 208 adapted to receive the needle enclosure 206. Therefore, these sub-components may be assembled in a predefined manner in order to form the spray generating block 104.

In an embodiment, the needle 202 may be screw-fitted into the needle holder 204. The needle 202 may be adapted to be operated as a liquid feed. Thereafter, the needle holder 204 holding the needle 202 may be disposed on the needle enclosure 206. Further, the housing 208 may be adapted to receive the needle enclosure 206 such that a predefined gap is formed therebetween to guide air flow. The predefined gap may be understood as a hollow circular channel adapted to guide the air flow. In an embodiment, the spray generating block 104 may include a compressor (not shown) adapted to supply regulated flow of air through a connector (not shown) on the housing 208 to flow through the hollow circular channel between the housing 208 and the needle enclosure 206.

The liquid feed from the needle 202 and the air flow from the predefined gap are mixed to generate a spray to be inhaled by the user through an orifice. Therefore, when the liquid and the air are simultaneously fed, the spray generating block 104 may generate the spray through the small orifice. As illustrated, the spray generating block 104 is formed such that the liquid feed and the air flow are dispensed from the needle 202 and the predefined gap, respectively, in a coaxial direction to form the spray. Therefore, the spray generating block 104 so formed may be understood as a coaxial atomizer. Further, in an embodiment, the needle 202 may be adapted to be conveniently replaced after a predefined duration of usage of the compact nebulizer 100.

Figure 3 illustrates an exploded sectional view of the spray generating block 104, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As would be appreciated by a person skilled in the art, dimensions of different components shown in Figure 3 are merely explanatory in nature and should not be construed as limiting in any way. In other embodiments, the dimensions of the spray generating block 104 may vary based on operational requirements and application, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Referring to Figure 2 and Figure 3, the spray generating block 104 may include a spacer attachment (not shown) formed at an exit. The spacer attachment may be adapted to operate for reducing speed of the spray. In an embodiment, the spacer attachment may further be adapted to reduce the diameter of droplets to be inhaled by the user.

For experimental purposes, the diameter of droplets of Saline solution and Budesonide suspension, as generated by the spray generating block 104 of the present disclosure, were measured by using a Laser Diffraction method by Helos-Sympatec droplet sizer. The diameter was measured for the droplets formed by the spray generating block 104, with and without the spacer attachment. The diameter of the majority of the droplets formed without the spacer attachment was found to be within 12 microns. On the other hand, the diameter of the droplets formed with the spacer attachment was found to be within 7 microns.

Figure 4 illustrates an exploded perspective view of the liquid dispensing system 102 of the compact nebulizer 100, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In an embodiment, the liquid dispensing system 102 may include, but is not limited to, a support block 402 and a seal 404 disposed in the support block 402. The seal 404 may include, but is not limited to, a stem portion 414 adapted to be coupled to the needle holder 204 of the spray generating block 104, and a base portion 416 formed below the stem portion 414.

In order to couple the liquid dispensing system 102 with the spray generating block 104, the stem portion 414 of the seal 404 of the liquid dispensing system 102 may be fitted into the needle holder 204 of the spray generating block 104. In an embodiment, the needle holder 204 may include a through hole, for example, having a diameter of about 2 mm, to accommodate the seal 404.

The liquid dispensing system 102 may also include a container 406 adapted to accommodate the base portion 416 of the seal 404. The container 406 may be adapted to store the liquid to be dispensed. The base portion 416 of the seal 404 may be formed to have a cuboidal-shaped profile. The container 406 may include a corresponding groove to accommodate the cuboidal-shaped base portion 416 of the seal 404. The cuboidal shape of the base portion 416 of the seal 404 may prevent relative rotational motion between the seal 404 and the container 406, in an assembled state.

Further, the liquid dispensing system 102 may include a rotor 408 coupled with the container 406. In an embodiment, an external surface of the container 406 may include trapezoidal threads adapted to engage with corresponding internal threads of the rotor 408. The rotation of the rotor 408 may be translated to a linear movement of the container 406 for dispensing the liquid, for example, at a steady rate. In an embodiment, the trapezoidal threads may have a small pitch to allow for highly controlled movement of the container 406. This controlled movement of the container 406 allows regulation in a rate of liquid being dispensed to the spray generating block 104 for the spray generation.

The rotor 408 may further be coupled to the high torque motor 410. The high torque motor 410 may be adapted to operate the rotor 408, based on at least one predefined condition. In an embodiment, the liquid dispensing system 102 may include a bearing 412 disposed between the rotor 408 and the motor 410. The bearing 412 may be adapted to support the rotor 408 to reduce a vertical load on the motor 410. These sub-components may be assembled in a predefined manner to form the liquid dispensing system 102.

Further, the seal 404, the container 406, the rotor 408, the high torque motor 410, and the bearing 412 may be assembled and supported in the support block 402. In the illustrated embodiment, the support block 402 is shown to be in two halves, referred to as 402-1 and 402-2.

In an embodiment, the compact nebulizer 100 may also include a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) (not shown) and a breath detecting unit 106. The breath detecting unit 106 may be a sensor adapted to detect inhalation by the user. Further, the PCB may include a controller 108 in communication with the breath detecting unit 106 and the motor 410.

In an embodiment, the controller 108 may be a single processing unit or a number of units, all of which could include multiple computing units. The controller 108 may be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units, state machines, logic circuitries, and/or any devices that manipulate signals based on operational instructions. Among other capabilities, the controller 108 is configured to fetch and execute computer-readable instructions and data stored in the memory.

The memory may include any non-transitory computer-readable medium known in the art including, for example, volatile memory, such as static random access memory (SRAM) and dynamic random access memory (DRAM), and/or non-volatile memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM, flash memories, hard disks, optical disks, and magnetic tapes.

The modules, amongst other things, include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., which perform particular tasks or implement data types. The modules may also be implemented as, signal processor(s), state machine(s), logic circuitries, and/or any other device or component that manipulate signals based on operational instructions.

Further, the modules can be implemented in hardware, instructions executed by a processing unit, or by a combination thereof. The processing unit can comprise a computer, a processor, a state machine, a logic array, or any other suitable devices capable of processing instructions. The processing unit can be a general-purpose processor which executes instructions to cause the general-purpose processor to perform the required tasks or, the processing unit can be dedicated to performing the required functions. In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the modules may be machine-readable instructions (software) which, when executed by a processor/processing unit, perform any of the described functionalities.

The controller 108 may be adapted to control the operation of the motor 410 to operate the rotor 408 for dispensing liquid from the liquid dispensing system 102. In an embodiment, the controller 108 may control the motor 410 based on the detection by the breath detecting unit 106. Therefore, when the inhalation by the user is detected, the motor 410 is actuated to operate the motor 408 for dispensing the liquid in the form of spray for inhalation by the user.

Figure 5 illustrates an exploded sectional view of the liquid dispensing system 102, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As would be appreciated by a person skilled in the art, dimensions of different components shown in Figure 5 are merely explanatory in nature and should not be construed as limiting in any way. In other embodiments, the dimensions of the liquid dispensing system 102 may vary based on operational requirements and application, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Figure 6 illustrates a perspective view of a spray generating block 600 of a breath-actuated compact nebulizer, according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. The compact nebulizer may include, but is not limited to, a syringe assembly (shown in Figure 8) adapted to dispense liquid and the spray generating block 600 coupled to the syringe assembly. The spray generating block 600 may be adapted to convert the dispensed liquid into a spray to be inhaled by the user.

In the present embodiment, the compact nebulizer is constructed such that the air jet and the liquid impinging jet are perpendicular to each other, for generating the fine mist. As would be appreciated by a person skilled in the art, considering that the alignment of the air jet and the liquid jet with respect to each other has changed in the present embodiment, the construction of the sub-components may also be different than the sub-components of the compact nebulizer 100 of the previous embodiment.

Figure 7 illustrates an exploded perspective view of the spray generating block 600, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Figure 6 and Figure 7, the spray generating block 600 may include, but is not limited to, a main block 602, a needle 606 disposed in the main block 602, and an air nozzle 604 and an air connector pin 608 disposed in the main block 602. The needle 606 may be adapted to be operated as the liquid feed. In an embodiment, the needle 606 may be press-fitted into the main block 602 whereas the air nozzle 604 and the air connector pin 608 may be thread-fitted into the main block 602. The air nozzle 604 and the air connector pin 608 may be adapted to guide the air out. In the present embodiment, the air nozzle 604 and the needle 606 may be positioned such that the outgoing air jet and the impinging liquid jet, respectively, are perpendicular to each other.

In an embodiment, the spray generating block 600 may also include a compressor (not shown) adapted to supply regulated flow of air through the air nozzle 604.

In an embodiment, the spray generating block 600 may be provided with the liquid feed by the syringe assembly storing the liquid. Figure 8 illustrates a perspective view of the syringe assembly 800 of the compact nebulizer, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the compact nebulizer of the present embodiment, the liquid feed may be provided by the syringe assembly 800 and the air supply may be provided by a compressor (not shown).

As illustrated, the syringe assembly 800 may include, but is not limited to, a base 808, a lead screw 806 disposed in the base 808, a pusher 804 disposed in the base 808 and coupled to the lead screw 806, and a syringe 802 coupled to the pusher 804. Therefore, the base 808 may be adapted to accommodate the syringe 802, the pusher 804, and the lead screw 806. In an embodiment, a rotation of the lead screw 806 translates into a linear movement of the pusher 804. In an embodiment, a movement of the lead screw 806 may be controlled by the motor. Further, the syringe 802 may be adapted to dispense the liquid based on the movement of the pusher 804.

In the present embodiment, the compact nebulizer may also include the spacer attachment for reducing the spray speed and the droplet diameters. In the compact nebulizer of the second embodiment, without the spacer attachment, majority of the droplets were observed to be within 18 microns, and it is expected to be reduced further with optimization of the air nozzle design.

As would be gathered, the compact nebulizers of the present disclosure offer a comprehensive approach for effective mist generation for inhalation by the user. First of all, the provision of direct liquid fluid to the spray generating blocks 104, 600 allows for nebulization of liquid with minimal residual fluid in the reservoir. Therefore, the wastage of the fluid is avoided while also ensuring cost-effective operation of the compact nebulizers. Further, in an embodiment, the rate of nebulization by the compact nebulizers is about 0.8 ml/min. This would lead to significant reduction in the time taken for the inhalation therapy through the proposed compact nebulizers.

Furthermore, the proposed compact nebulizers are capable of converting the solutions as well as the suspensions into mist. There is not limitation as such associated with the conversion of the suspensions by the compact nebulizers. Moreover, owing to the breath detected actuation of the device, the compact nebulizers are adapted to operate only when required. This would lead to reduction of wastage and efficient operation of the compact nebulizers. In addition, the construction and assembly of the sub-components are such that an overall size and weight of the nebulizers is significantly compact, in comparison to the existing devices. Therefore, the compact nebulizers of the present disclosures are comprehensive, time-efficient, flexible in implementation, cost-effective, convenient to operate, and have a wide range of applications.

While specific language has been used to describe the present subject matter, any limitations arising on account thereto, are not intended. As would be apparent to a person in the art, various working modifications may be made to the method in order to implement the inventive concept as taught herein. The drawings and the foregoing description give examples of embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment.
,CLAIMS:1. A compact nebulizer (100) comprising:
an automated liquid dispensing system (102) adapted to dispense liquid; and
a spray generating block (104) coupled to the automated liquid dispensing system (102) and adapted to convert the dispensed liquid into a spray to be inhaled by a user, the spray generating block (104) comprising:
a needle (202) disposed on a needle holder (204) and adapted to be operated as a liquid feed;
a needle enclosure (206) adapted to accommodate the needle holder (204); and
a housing (208) adapted to receive the needle enclosure (206) such that a predefined gap is formed therebetween to guide air flow,
wherein the liquid feed from the needle (202) and the air flow from the predefined gap are mixed to generate a spray to be inhaled by the user through an orifice.

2. The compact nebulizer (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spray generating block (104) is formed such that the liquid feed and the air flow are dispensed from the needle (202) and the predefined gap, respectively, in a coaxial direction to form the spray.

3. The compact nebulizer (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the needle (202) is screw-fitted into the needle holder (204) of the spray generating block (104).

4. The compact nebulizer (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spray generating block comprising a compressor adapted to supply regulated flow of air through the predefined gap between the housing and the needle enclosure.

5. The compact nebulizer (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the automated liquid dispensing system (102) comprising:
a support block (402);
a seal (404) disposed in the support block (402) and comprising:
a stem portion (414) adapted to be coupled to the needle holder (204) of the spray generating block (104); and
a base portion (416) formed below the stem portion (414);
a container (406) adapted to accommodate the base portion (416) of the seal (404), wherein the container (406) stores the liquid to be dispensed; and
a rotor (408) coupled with the container (406) and adapted to be operated by a motor (410), wherein the rotation of rotor (408) is translated to a linear movement of the container (406) for dispensing the liquid.

6. The compact nebulizer (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the base portion (416) of the seal (404) is formed to have a cuboidal-shaped profile and the container (406) comprising a corresponding groove to accommodate the cuboidal-shaped base portion (416) of the seal (404).

7. The compact nebulizer (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein an external surface of the container (406) has trapezoidal threads adapted to engage with corresponding internal threads of the rotor (408).

8. The compact nebulizer (100) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the automated liquid dispensing system (102) comprising a bearing (412) disposed between the rotor (408) and the motor (410) and adapted to support the rotor (408) to reduce a vertical load on the motor (410).

9. The compact nebulizer (100) as claimed in claim 5, comprising:
a breath detecting unit (106) adapted to detect inhalation by the user; and
a controller (108) in communication with the breath detecting unit (106) and adapted to control the operation of the motor (410) to operate the rotor (408) for dispensing liquid from the automated liquid dispensing system (102), based on the detection by the breath detecting unit (106).

10. A spray generating block (104) for a compact nebulizer (100) comprising:
a needle (202) disposed on a needle holder (204) and adapted to be operated as a liquid feed;
a needle enclosure (206) adapted to accommodate the needle holder (204); and
a housing (208) adapted to receive the needle enclosure (206) such that a predefined gap is formed therebetween to guide air flow, wherein the liquid feed from the needle (202) and the air flow from the predefined gap are mixed to generate a spray to be inhaled by a user through an orifice.

11. A compact nebulizer comprising:
a syringe assembly (800) adapted to dispense liquid; and
a spray generating block (600) coupled to the syringe assembly (800) and adapted to convert the dispensed liquid into a spray to be inhaled by a user, the spray generating block (600) comprising:
a main block (602);
a needle (606) disposed in the main block (602) and adapted to be operated as a liquid feed; and
an air nozzle (604) and an air connector pin (608) disposed in the main block and adapted to guide the air out, wherein the air nozzle and the needle are positioned such that the outgoing air jet and the impinging liquid jet, respectively, are perpendicular to each other.

12. The compact nebulizer as claimed in claim 11, wherein the needle (606) is press-fitted into the main block (602).

13. The compact nebulizer as claimed in claim 11, wherein the air nozzle (604) and the air connector pin (608) are thread-fitted into the main block (602).

14. The compact nebulizer as claimed in claim 11, wherein the syringe assembly (800) comprising:
a base (808);
a lead screw (806) disposed in the base (808);
a pusher (804) disposed in the base (808) and coupled to the lead screw (806), wherein the rotation of the lead screw (806) translates into a linear movement of the pusher (804); and
a syringe (802) coupled to the pusher (804) and adapted to dispense the liquid based on the movement of the pusher (804).

15. The compact nebulizer as claimed in claim 11, wherein the spray generating block (600) comprising a compressor adapted to supply regulated flow of air through the air nozzle (604).

16. A spray generating block (600) for compact nebulizer, comprising:
a main block (602);
a needle (606) disposed in the main block (602) and adapted to be operated as a liquid feed; and
an air nozzle (604) and an air connector pin (608) disposed in the main block (602) and adapted to guide the air out, wherein the air nozzle (604) and the needle (606) are positioned such that the outgoing air jet and the impinging liquid jet, respectively, are perpendicular to each other.