JPH11276591A - Apparatus for supplying gas for respiration - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make an apparatus possible to stably supply highly-concentrated oxygen by assembling a humidity sensor on a pipe section for discharging desorbed nitrogen gas in an absorbent within an absorption cylinder to the outside air, in a gas producing process of an apparatus for supplying gas for respiration according to a pressure swing absorption method consecutively obtaining a gas enriched in oxygen. SOLUTION: Air around the apparatus for supplying gas is compressed by a compressor 1, and compressed air is supplied through an electromagnetic valve 2 to an absorption cylinder 4. Nitrogen gas is absorbed with the absorption cylinder 4 to produce gas enriched with oxygen as producing gas at the absorption cylinder 5 in a state open to the outside. On the other hand, the nitrogen gas within the absorption cylinder 5 is drifted and discharged through a sound arrester 7 to the outside air. At this time, a humidity sensor 6 is assembled in the middle of a pipe between the absorption cylinder 5 and the sound arrester 7, and an oxygen concentration sensor 11 is assembled in the middle of the pipe between a reserve tank 9 and a flux controller 10. When either one of a humidity or an oxygen concentration detected from these sensors 6, 11 is less than a fixed value, an alarm 13 is operated to alarm.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is used for a respiratory gas supply device mainly used for home oxygen therapy for patients with respiratory illness. The present invention relates to a respiratory gas supply device that displays an alarm when the pressure decreases or the adsorption cylinder deteriorates.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Oxygen therapy, which provides oxygen-enriched gas for patients with chronic respiratory disease, especially home-based oxygen therapy, is a useful treatment that has been emphasized and spread in recent years. In these types of oxygen therapy, the nasal cannula, which is called an oxygen cannula, generally sends a constant flow of oxygen to the patient.

As a general method, there is a gas supply device for continuously flowing oxygen. FIG. 1 shows a general embodiment thereof. First, a compressor (1) as a means for pressurizing air, an adsorption cylinder (4) for adsorbing nitrogen gas in the air and producing an oxygen-enriched gas as a product gas, and another adsorption cylinder (5) A solenoid valve (2) and another solenoid valve (3) arranged as valves in the middle of a pipe for sending air compressed from a compressor to the adsorption cylinder (4) and the other adsorption cylinder (5), respectively, and nitrogen gas. Silencer (6) having a silencing function when releasing air into the outside air, a storage tank (9) for storing oxygen-enriched gas generated from the adsorption cylinder, and arranged in the piping of each adsorption cylinder and the storage tank. One-way valve (8), flow controller (1) for setting the flow rate appropriate for the patient
0).

[0004] As a process until the generated gas is formed, air around the gas supply device is pressurized by a compressor (1), and the pressurized air is supplied to a solenoid valve (2) or another solenoid valve (3). As a result, it is supplied to the adsorption column (4) or the other adsorption column (5). Here, when the solenoid valve (2) is opened and the other solenoid valve (3) is closed as in the case of FIG. 1, the adsorption cylinder () connected to the opened solenoid valve (2) is opened. Only 4) is supplied with air. When air is supplied, nitrogen gas is adsorbed in the adsorption cylinder in the adsorption cylinder, and an oxygen-enriched gas is produced as product gas. When the solenoid valve is switched, the solenoid valve (2), which had been opened, is closed and the adsorption cylinder (4) is opened to the atmospheric pressure, so that nitrogen gas is released and released into the atmosphere through the silencer (6). Is done.
The other solenoid valve (3), which has been closed, is opened and air is fed into the other adsorption cylinder (5) to produce product gas. And by repeatedly switching the solenoid valve,
The product gas is produced continuously. The produced gas produced passes through the one-way valve (8) and is stored in the storage tank (9). By using a one-way valve, the product gas does not flow backward from the storage tank to the adsorption column. Then, a constant flow rate determined for each patient by a prescription is set by the flow controller (10), and the generated gas in the storage tank is supplied to the patient through a nasal cannula attached to the gas supply device.

As described above, the air around the gas supply device is supplied from the compressor to the adsorption cylinder. At this time, the humidity of the supplied air, that is, the humidity of the surrounding air determines the life of the adsorption cylinder. . Generally, zeolite is filled and used as an adsorbent in the adsorption cylinder.However, zeolite itself absorbs moisture during adsorption, so if it is used for a long time in a place with high humidity, the efficiency of adsorption and desorption will increase. As a result, it becomes difficult to stably supply oxygen at a high concentration. In addition, the concentration period is a period in which the concentration is reduced, but is affected by the humidity as described above. Therefore, it is difficult to set the replacement period according to the use environment and the season, and the oxygen-enriched gas generated from the gas supply device is difficult. Was determined only by measuring with an oximeter.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems. The humidity and oxygen concentration sensors constantly or regularly use a humidity sensor and an oxygen concentration sensor while driving a breathing gas supply device. By measuring and monitoring the concentration, a stable supply of high-concentration oxygen is realized, and the time for replacing the adsorption column is clarified.

[0007]

Means for Solving the Problems In a gas generation step of a respiratory gas supply device by a pressure fluctuation adsorption method for continuously obtaining an oxygen-enriched gas, nitrogen gas in an adsorbent in an adsorption cylinder is released by removing nitrogen gas. A gas supply device characterized in that a humidity sensor is attached to a pipe section for discharging air to the gas supply device.

[0008]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a gas supply device according to one embodiment of the present invention, which is an embodiment using two adsorption cylinders.

First, a compressor (1), which is a means for pressurizing air, and an adsorption cylinder (4) for adsorbing nitrogen gas in the air and producing an oxygen-enriched gas as a product gas.
And the other adsorption cylinder (5), the solenoid valve (2) arranged as a valve in the middle of the pipe that sends air compressed from the compressor to the adsorption cylinder (4) and the other adsorption cylinder (5), respectively. One solenoid valve (3), a silencer (6) having a silencing function when releasing nitrogen gas to the outside air, and a muffler for releasing nitrogen gas to the outside air and a humidity arranged in the middle of the pipe of the adsorption cylinder are measured. Humidity sensor (7), storage tank (9) for storing oxygen-enriched gas generated from the adsorption cylinder, one-way valve (8) arranged in the piping of each adsorption cylinder and storage tank, flow rate suitable for the patient Flow rate controller (10), oxygen concentration sensor (11) for measuring the oxygen concentration located in the piping of the storage tank and flow rate regulator, and a control unit for monitoring the humidity sensor and the oxygen concentration sensor and issuing an alarm (12), it Alarm section issues a display and alarm sound (1
3).

Next, as a process until the generated gas is formed, air around the gas supply device is pressurized by the compressor (1), and the pressurized air is supplied to the solenoid valve (2) or the other solenoid valve (3). ) Is supplied to the adsorption column (4) or the other adsorption column (5). Here, in the case of the figure, if one solenoid valve (2) is open and the other solenoid valve (3) is closed, the adsorption cylinder (2) connected to the open solenoid valve (2) Only 4) is supplied with air. When air is supplied, nitrogen gas is adsorbed in the adsorption cylinder in the adsorption cylinder, and an oxygen-enriched gas is produced as product gas. The other solenoid valve (3) is closed, and the other adsorption cylinder (5) is open to the atmosphere. Thereafter, when the solenoid valve (2) is switched from open to closed, it is opened to the atmospheric pressure, so that the nitrogen gas in the adsorption tube (4) is released and released to the atmosphere through the silencer (6). At this time, the humidity is measured by a humidity sensor attached in the piping between the adsorption cylinder (4) and the muffler (6). The humidity sensor is connected to the control unit (12) and is monitored constantly or periodically. The generated oxygen-enriched gas passes through the one-way valve (8) and is stored in the storage tank (9). On the other hand, the valve (8) has a structure in which generated gas does not flow backward from the storage tank to the adsorption column. An oxygen concentration sensor attached in the middle of the piping between the storage tank (9) and the flow controller (10) measures the concentration of the produced oxygen-enriched gas. The oxygen sensor is connected to the control unit (12) and is constantly or periodically monitored. The constant flow rate determined for each patient by the prescription is adjusted to a flow rate controller (1).
Set at 0) and sent to the patient through the nasal cannula. And by repeating the above steps, a stable concentration,
Supply a flow of oxygen-enriched gas

When monitoring the humidity and the oxygen concentration, if a value lower than a certain value is detected by the control section, an alarm is provided as a display on an alarm section (13) provided on the operation panel of the apparatus. An alarm is also issued as a sound. At this time, it is preferable to change the display and the alarm sound in accordance with each of the alarms in order to distinguish whether the alarm is due to humidity or oxygen. The detected value of the alarm is preferably a relative humidity of 40% RH or more in the case of humidity, and preferably less than 90% in the case of oxygen. May be. In particular, since the humidity changes depending on the season and the place of use, it is preferable to set the detection value accordingly. Further, monitoring of both sensors may be performed at all times or at regular intervals. In the case of monitoring at regular intervals, it is preferable that a monitoring time can be set.

Next, measurement of humidity from the adsorption cylinder is performed. When purging the interior of the adsorption cylinder, when the nitrogen gas adsorbed in the adsorption cylinder is released to the atmosphere, the nitrogen gas is discharged to the atmosphere through a silencer. Released. At this time, the humidity is measured by a humidity sensor in the middle of the pipe between the muffler and the adsorption cylinder, and if the humidity is higher than a certain level, the humidity is detected as an alarm. If the humidity sensor is installed directly in the middle of the pipe between the adsorption cylinder and the silencer, the pressure inside the adsorption cylinder is high during purging, so it is released from the adsorption cylinder when the solenoid valve is opened. Since the humidity sensor is affected by the high-speed flow of nitrogen gas and accurate detection becomes difficult, it is preferable to attach a pipe for the humidity sensor so as to branch off the pipe between the adsorption cylinder and the muffler. The response is fast as a humidity sensor to use,
There is no particular limitation as long as the humidity sensor has long-term stability and high reliability.However, a type that heats with a heater attached to the humidity sensitive part of the sensor at regular intervals during use enables more accurate measurement It is one of the preferable sensors.

In the measurement of the oxygen concentration, the oxygen concentration sensor is installed at a location near the outlet for supplying oxygen-enriched gas to the patient and not affected by the outside air. It is preferable to attach it in the middle of the pipe, but it is not limited to this location. In addition, the oxygen concentration sensor used has a fast response, long-term stability, and is not limited as long as it is a compact oxygen concentration sensor, but preferably has a fast response, a compact galvanic system, and a fast response. A zirconia oxygen concentration sensor having long-term stability is preferred. In addition, since the galvanic sensor may be affected by the temperature and altitude, it is preferable to provide a circuit that can correct the temperature and altitude since higher accuracy measurement can be performed.

[0014]

By using the respiratory gas supply device of the present invention, stable and high-concentration oxygen can be supplied.
When the concentration decreases, this is displayed as a warning or issued as a warning sound, so that the safety is increased and the time for replacing the adsorption cylinder becomes clear.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an entire configuration of a respiratory gas supply device according to a general embodiment in which oxygen is continuously supplied.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an entire configuration of a respiratory gas supply device according to a general embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Compressor 2, 3 Solenoid valve 4, 5 Adsorption cylinder 6 Silencer 7 Humidity sensor 8 One-way valve 9 Storage tank 10 Flow controller 11 Oxygen concentration sensor 12 Control part 13 Alarm part

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A pipe for releasing nitrogen gas in an adsorbent in an adsorption cylinder and releasing it to the outside air in a gas generation step of a respiratory gas supply device by a pressure fluctuation adsorption method for continuously obtaining an oxygen-enriched gas. A respiratory gas supply device characterized by attaching a humidity sensor to the section. 2. The respiratory gas supply device according to claim 1, wherein an oxygen concentration sensor is attached to an outlet pipe portion of the adsorption cylinder and thereafter. 3. The respiratory gas supply device according to claim 1, wherein an alarm device for a humidity sensor and an oxygen concentration sensor is provided on an operation panel surface of the respiratory gas supply device.