JP2000178009A - Oxygen enriching apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a structure capable of separating and discharging even water particle having <=0.1 μ diameter and to secure a flow passage, through which a fixed quantity is passed, without clogging a mixing valve (flow control valve), where a flow passage for supplying compressed air having the same concentration as the atmospheric air and a flow passage for enriched oxygen are joined. SOLUTION: Swirling movement is given to the compressed air by a spiral flow passage provided in an air filter to hit free water drops or foreign matter against the inside wall of the air filter by the cyclone effect. Further, a solenoid valve 115 is used as a drain discharge means and the drain is separated and discharged by instantaneously expanding the compressed air by the instantaneously opening and closing action of the valve 115. The flow rate of the compressed air is controlled by using an orifice valve as a flow control valve to contract the flow passage (line 129) for supplying the compressed air having same oxygen concentration as that in the atmospheric air.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an oxygen concentrator used to obtain concentrated oxygen having an increased oxygen concentration from the atmosphere, and more particularly, to an oxygen concentrator for operating a device for a long time and stably. The present invention relates to an oxygen concentrator that ensures drain discharge on the downstream side, minimizes excessive discharge of compressed air, and facilitates adjustment of oxygen concentration.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this type of oxygen concentrator is mainly used for oxygen therapy and emergency medical treatment for patients with respiratory diseases or medical treatment for supplying oxygen to patients undergoing surgery. In addition, at home, in order to restore concentration and thinking skills and improve study efficiency, to reduce stress during intensive work such as meetings and work at work, Widely and easily used, fresh and safe oxygen is incorporated into daily life to recover fatigue and motor function.

FIG. 5 shows an example of a conventional oxygen concentrator. This is the invention of the present applicant disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-108527. In the present invention, compressed air supply means 11 for compressing and supplying air and compressed air supply means 1
1, a condensing means 12 for condensing compressed air, a gas-liquid separating means 14 connected to the condensing means 12 for separating water in the compressed air, and a drain connected to the gas-liquid separating means 14 for discharging drain. Discharge means 15 and gas-liquid separation means 1
A plurality of concentrated oxygen generating means 18 and 19 connected to a downstream side of the compressed air 4 via a switching valve 17 for selectively switching a flow path of compressed air to separate nitrogen and oxygen in the compressed air to generate concentrated oxygen. A first pipe line 26 connecting them, and a branch from a flow path from the gas-liquid separation means 14 to the switching valve 17, and a concentrated oxygen generation means 18 provided through a flow control valve 25.
And a second conduit 29 connected downstream of the pipe 19. With such a structure, after the water in the compressed air is condensed and gas-liquid separated, a flow path for supplying the gas-liquid separated compressed air to the plurality of concentrated oxygen generating means 18 and 19 is switched by the switching valve 17 for a predetermined time. Each concentrated oxygen generating means 1 is selectively supplied to each of the concentrated oxygen generating means 18 and 19 by switching each time.
At steps 8 and 19, nitrogen and oxygen are separated from the compressed air to generate concentrated oxygen, and the oxygen concentration is adjusted downstream of the oxygen.

In this case, the drain discharge means 15 is provided with
As shown in the figure, a piston 42 which divides the inside of the body 41 of the drain discharge means into upper and lower parts to form an upper chamber 45 and a lower chamber 46.
The discharge valve 4 is provided in the main body 41 so as to be movable up and down, and the piston 42 moves up and down to open and close a drain hole at the bottom of the body 41.
The differential pressure type drain valve is provided with a normally closed differential pressure type drain valve, and is connected to the bottom of the gas-liquid separation means 14. As a result, the pressure in the upper chamber 45 of the drain discharge means 15 is reduced due to the instantaneous decrease in the pressure in the pipe 26 and the gas-liquid separation means 14, and the instantaneous pressure difference between the upper chamber 45 and the lower chamber 46 is reduced. As a result, the piston 42 rises due to the pressure of the lower chamber 46, and the discharge valve 44 is opened to instantaneously discharge the drain stored at the bottom. Since the pressure in the lower chamber 46 becomes lower than the pressure in the upper chamber 45 at the same time as the drain is discharged, the piston 42 descends and closes the discharge valve 44.

[0005] Here, a second means is used for adjusting the oxygen concentration.
Using the flow control valve 25 of the pipe line 29, the air from the gas-liquid separation means 14 is supplied to the concentrated oxygen by a predetermined amount through the throttle of the flow control valve 25, mixed and adjusted to a predetermined concentration, and supplied to the outside. .

[0006]

However, in the drain separation / discharge structure in which the differential pressure type drain valve is connected to the gas-liquid separation means of the oxygen concentrator, the gasified (atomized) water contains no water particles. There was a problem that separation was not possible at 0.1 μm or less. In addition, a flow control valve of a second pipe arranged for adjusting the oxygen concentration downstream of the concentrated oxygen generating means,
Usually, since the needle valve 71 as shown in FIG. 7 is used, there is a problem that dust is accumulated in a gap between the needle 72 and the valve seat 73 and the flow path is easily clogged.

The present invention is to solve such a conventional problem. In this type of oxygen concentrator, the oxygen concentrator is provided with a drain separation and discharge structure capable of separating water particles of 0.1 μm or less. It is an object of the present invention to secure a flow passage having a predetermined flow rate without clogging a flow control valve used for adjusting the oxygen concentration downstream of the means.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above object, in the oxygen concentrator according to the present invention, a spiral flow path is provided in the gas-liquid separation means to impart a swirling motion to the compressed air, thereby providing a cyclone. Due to the effect, relatively large free water droplets and foreign substances are hit against the inner wall of the gas-liquid separation means. Further, an electromagnetic valve is used as the drain discharge means, and the compressed air is instantaneously expanded by the instant opening and closing operation to discharge the drain. In this way, a drain separation / discharge structure that can separate water particles of 0.1 μm or less is realized.

In addition, an orifice valve is used as a flow control valve, and the flow is adjusted by contraction by the orifice. In this way, a flow path with a predetermined flow rate is secured without clogging the flow control valve used for adjusting the oxygen concentration downstream of the concentrated oxygen generating means.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The oxygen concentrator according to the first aspect of the present invention is provided with a spiral flow path in the gas-liquid separation means to impart a swirling motion to the compressed air and to provide an electromagnetic valve to the drain discharge means. The compressed air is instantaneously expanded by the instant opening / closing operation.

[0011] The oxygen concentrator according to claim 2 of the present invention comprises:
In the configuration of the first aspect, the electromagnetic valve is operated immediately before the operation of the switching valve for selectively switching the flow path of the compressed air separated into gas and liquid to the plurality of concentrated oxygen generating means.

With the above arrangement, the compressed air flowing into the gas-liquid separating means is given a swirling motion, and relatively large free water droplets and foreign substances are pushed to the inner wall of the gas-liquid separating means by the cyclone effect, and travel along the wall surface. Drop and collect at the bottom. Further, the instantaneous opening and closing operation of the electromagnetic valve instantaneously expands the compressed air to generate mist and separate water.

[0013] The oxygen concentrator according to claim 3 of the present invention comprises:
The water in the compressed air is condensed, gas-liquid separated, and the concentrated oxygen flow path supplied through each means for generating the concentrated oxygen from the gas-liquid separated compressed air is compressed and gas-liquid separated and not concentrated. An orifice valve provided with an orifice plate in a pipe is used as a mixing valve that joins a flow path for supplying air.

[0014] From the above configuration, compressed air that is not gas-liquid separated and concentrated is contracted by the orifice. Thereby, the flow rate of the compressed air is reliably adjusted without the flow control valve being clogged with dust or the like.

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. (Embodiment) In FIG. 1, reference numeral 110 denotes an oxygen concentrator,
Compressor 1 as compressed air supply means for compressing air
11 and two sheave columns 118, 1 as concentrated oxygen generating means for extracting high-concentration oxygen from the compressed air.
19 is provided.

In the compressor 111, a coarse mesh filter 151 and a fine mesh filter
2. Inhale the air through 2 and compress. Here, the compressor 111 is a reciprocating compressor that compresses air by reciprocating a piston in a cylinder. The compressor 111 is driven to rotate by a motor having a rated output of 0.19 kw at a rotation speed of 1575 rpm and a total weight including the motor of 7. 1 kg, size is about 130 mm in width, about 260 mm in length, and about 1 in height
90 mm compact type.

A condenser 112 is connected to the downstream side of the compressor 111 via a pressure relief valve 128. The condenser 112 is means for cooling the compressed air to condense the moisture in the compressed air. Downstream of the condenser 112, a drain / surge tank 113 and an air filter 114 are sequentially connected as gas-liquid separation means for separating moisture from compressed air, and the compressed air is expanded and decompressed by the drain / surge tank 113 to perform some gas-liquid separation. After that, the pulsation is suppressed again, and gas-liquid separation is performed by the air filter 114.

Here, the drain / surge tank 113 is a tank for storing the moisture in the compressed air.
As shown in Fig. 7, a container having a rectangular cross section of 34 mm square and a height of 110 mm is provided with a compressed air inlet 131 at an upper portion and a compressed air outlet 132 at a bottom surface. The water condensed in the condenser 112 becomes water droplets in the drain / surge tank 113 and is stored on the bottom surface. As an alternative to the drain / surge tank 113, the compressed air supply means 111 is connected to the compressed air condensing means 112 via a pressure relief valve 128,
Pressure relief valve 128 and gas-liquid separation means 11
The above-described pulsation can be suppressed to some extent by forming the volume of the pipeline between the four to be larger than the pipeline between the compressed air supply means 111 and the pressure relief valve 128 and expanding the compressed air in the pipeline.

The air filter 114 is a gas-liquid separating means for separating and removing moisture, dust and the like contained in the compressed air. A spiral flow path is provided in the air filter 114 by a louver deflector. The compressed air that has flowed into the air filter 114 is swirled to generate relatively large free water droplets and foreign matters by the cyclone effect.
It pushes against the inner wall of No. 14 and drops along the wall surface, and accumulates at the bottom. The compressed air from which most of the moisture and foreign substances have been removed passes through the central filter element, which removes even smaller particulates and is discharged from the outlet.

As shown in FIG. 3, an electromagnetic valve 115 is mounted on the bottom of the air filter 114 as drain discharge means, and the compressed air is instantaneously expanded by its instantaneous opening and closing operation. The electromagnetic valve 115
Is operated immediately before the operation of a four-way valve 117 which is a switching valve to be described later.

The two sheave columns 118, 119 are:
It is a concentrated oxygen generating means for separating nitrogen and oxygen from compressed air separated by gas and liquid. The compressed air flow path is switched to the upstream side of these two sheave columns 118 and 119 to supply compressed air to one of the two sheave columns 118 and 119 alternately. A four-way valve 117 is provided as a switching valve, and is connected downstream of the air filter 114 via the four-way valve 117. In addition, an adsorption tank filled with an adsorbent capable of selectively adsorbing nitrogen or oxygen is provided as a means for generating concentrated oxygen, and molecular sieve zeolite 5A, 13X or any of these or other substances is used as an adsorbent capable of selectively adsorbing nitrogen. A modified zeolite or a combination thereof can be used, and molecular sieve carbon can be used as an adsorbent capable of selectively adsorbing oxygen. Further, as another concentrated oxygen generating means, a selective oxygen permeable membrane module that easily transmits oxygen than nitrogen in the atmosphere is provided in the tank, and the atmosphere is passed through the selective oxygen permeable membrane module to remove nitrogen and oxygen in the atmosphere. It may be one that generates concentrated oxygen by separation, and is not particularly limited.

The storage tank 121, the storage tank 121, the pressure regulator 122 (pressure reducing valve), the flow meter 123, and the bacteria filter 124 are arranged downstream of the sheave columns 118 and 119 via check valves 120, respectively. A sterilization filter) is connected.

As described above, the components are connected by the first conduit 126. The pipe 126 is made of a pipe material such as a polyurethane tube.

The air filter 114 and the four-way valve 117
And a bypass line 127 provided with a pilot valve 116 of a normally closed solenoid valve.
Is provided, and the line 12 is connected through the bypass line 127.
A part of the compressed air of No. 6 is supplied to the four-way valve 117 as an operating pressure. When the pilot valve 116 is opened, a part of the compressed air in the line 126 is passed through the bypass line 127 to the four-way valve 117.
, The flow path from the compressed air line 126 to the sheave columns 118 and 119 is switched,
The compressed air from the air filter 114 is supplied to the downstream pipe 12
It is supplied to one of the six or two sheave columns 118 and 119. The pilot valve 116 is a normally-closed solenoid valve that is opened at a set time by a timer (not shown), and the set time of the timer is set according to the capacity of the sheave column. In this embodiment, the set time of the timer is 12 seconds.

A second pipe 129 is provided downstream of the air filter 114 and branches off from a pipe 126. The second pipe 129 is provided with a flow regulating valve (mixing valve) 125 to connect the bacterial filter 124. It is connected to the upstream side. That is, the concentrated oxygen (90-95%) on the upstream side of the bacterial filter 124 and the compressed air having the same oxygen concentration (about 21%) as the atmosphere dehumidified by the air filter 114 are combined to form concentrated oxygen having a low oxygen concentration. It is adjusted, sterilized by the bacterial filter 124 and supplied to the outside. Here, as shown in FIG. 4, an orifice valve 142 having an orifice plate 141 provided in the pipe is used as the flow rate adjusting valve 125. In the orifice valve 142, the compressed air is compressed by the hole 143 provided at the center of the orifice plate 141 (the center of the pipe), so that the compressed air can be supplied at a predetermined flow rate without clogging the flow control valve 125. Adjust to The orifice valve 142 has several types of valves with different adjustment amounts. Therefore, the oxygen concentration of the concentrated oxygen can be set arbitrarily.

Next, the operation of the oxygen concentrator 110 will be described. In FIG. 1, first, the atmosphere is sucked into a compressor 111 through a coarse-mesh filter 151 and a fine-mesh filter 152, compressed in the compressor 111, and
It is sent to the condenser 112 via 28. When the air is compressed by the compressor 111, the water in the air is condensed and then cooled by the condenser 112 to form dew. The compressed air and moisture are sent to the drain / surge tank 113, and the moisture is
3 and the compressed air and moisture are sent to the air filter 114.

In the air filter 114, as described above, most of the water and foreign substances are transmitted to the wall surface and fall and accumulate at the bottom due to the cyclone effect. Air filter 114
90% of the water is removed and dried, and the compressed air with a clean oxygen concentration of 20%, from which small particulate matter is removed by the central filter element, is sent from the discharge port to the four-way valve 117 via the pipe 126. .

Through the flow path of the four-way valve 117, it is fed to one of the two sheave columns 118, 119, for example, the sheave column 118, and nitrogen and oxygen are removed from the compressed air. Separated to produce 95% enriched oxygen. This concentrated oxygen is supplied to the check valve 120
Through the storage tank 121, and then
The pressure is sent to a regulator 122, and the pressure regulator 122 operates in response to a detection signal of a pressure sensor that detects the pressure in the pipeline, is adjusted to a predetermined pressure, and is sent downstream via a flow meter 123. During this time, the electromagnetic valve 133 for exhaust is opened in the sheave column 119, and the nitrogen stored in the sheave column 119 is discharged to the atmosphere via the silencer.

In this embodiment, the pilot valve 116 operates once every 12 seconds for the set time of the timer. When the pilot valve 116 is opened, a part of the compressed air in the line 126 is removed from the bypass line 127. The pressure is supplied to the four-way valve 117 as the operating pressure, and the four-way valve 117 is operated. Four-way valve 11
7 is activated to shut off the flow path to the sheave column 118,
When the flow path to the sheave column 119 is communicated, the compressed air in the pipe 126 flows into the sheave column 119,
The compressed air is separated into nitrogen and oxygen in a sheave column 119 to produce 95% enriched oxygen. The sheave mentioned above
Like the concentrated oxygen generated in the column 118, the oxygen is sent downstream via the check valve 120, the storage tank 121, and the flow meter 123. During this time, the nitrogen stored in the sheave column 118 is discharged from the sheave column 118.
The pilot valve 116 is closed after the operation of the four-way valve 117.

On the other hand, after passing through the air filter 114, 90
% Of the dried compressed air with the oxygen concentration of 20% is sent to a flow control valve 125 through a pipe 129 branched from a pipe 126, and the flow is adjusted by the flow control valve 125. Then, it flows into the upstream side of the bacterial filter 124, merges with the 95% concentrated oxygen generated by the above-described sieve column, and is diluted to an oxygen concentration of about 35 to 40%, and the concentrated oxygen is removed by the bacterial filter 124. The bacteria are supplied to the outside, for example, to an inhalation mask for recovery from fatigue during sports.

As described above, when the pilot valve 116
It operates every two seconds to switch the flow path of the four-way valve 117 to 12
Compressed air from the line 126 is alternately supplied to the sheave column 118 or the sheave column 119 for 12 seconds. On the other hand, the nitrogen stored in the sieve column is alternately discharged every 12 seconds. That is, the nitrogen stored in the other sieve column is discharged for 12 seconds while the compressed air is being supplied to one sieve column.

Immediately before the pilot valve 116 is opened, the electromagnetic valve 115 connected to the air filter 114 is instantly opened, and the drain stored at the bottom of the air filter 114 is instantaneously discharged. . at the same time,
The compressed air in the air filter 114 is instantaneously expanded to generate mist, and water in the compressed air is separated. As a result, the gasified water is separated and discharged even if the water particles have a particle size of 0.1 μm or less. The drain is used to cool a motor that drives the compressor 111.

In this embodiment, the pilot valve 1
Although the case where the pilot valve 116 is provided is described, the case where the pilot valve 116 is not provided,
6 using part of the compressed air as the operating pressure
7, the four-way valve 117 may be operated by, for example, directly operating the four-way valve 117 using an electromagnetic valve.

[0034]

As described above, in the oxygen concentrator of the present invention, a spiral flow path is provided in the gas-liquid separation means.
A swirling motion is applied to the compressed air to cause relatively large free water droplets and foreign substances to hit the inner wall of the gas-liquid separation means by the cyclone effect, and to use an electromagnetic valve for the drain discharge means to instantaneously open and close the compressed air by its opening and closing operation. Since it is expanded to separate and discharge water and the like, it is possible to improve the drain separation / discharge ability, for example, it is possible to separate even water particles of 0.1 μm or less.

Further, since a flow path for supplying compressed air having the same oxygen concentration as the atmosphere is contracted by a mixing valve using an orifice valve and joined to a flow path of concentrated oxygen, dirt and the like are clogged in the mixing valve. Without this, the flow rate of the compressed air can be reliably adjusted. Therefore, the oxygen concentration of the concentrated oxygen can be easily and reliably adjusted.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an oxygen concentrator according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front sectional view showing an example of a drain / surge tank used in the oxygen concentrator.

FIG. 3 is a partial front view showing an air filter (gas-liquid separation means), an electromagnetic valve (drain discharge means) and peripheral devices in the oxygen concentrator.

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged sectional view of an orifice valve used for a flow control valve of the oxygen concentrator.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conventional oxygen concentrator.

FIG. 6 is a front sectional view showing a drain discharge means used in the oxygen concentrator.

FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of a flow control valve used in the oxygen concentrator.

[Explanation of symbols]

 110 oxygen concentrator 151 filter 152 filter 111 compressor (compressed air supply means) 112 condenser (compressed air condensation means) 113 drain / surge tank (gas-liquid separation means) 114 air filter (gas-liquid separation means) 115 solenoid valve (drain) Discharge means) 116 pilot valve (normally closed solenoid valve) 117 four-way valve (switching valve) 118 sheave column (concentrated oxygen generation means) 119 sheave column (concentrated oxygen generation means) 120 check valve 121 storage tank 122 pressure regulator 123 Flow meter 124 Bacterial filter (bactericidal filter) 125 Flow control valve 126 First line 127 Bypass line 128 Pressure / relief valve 129 Second line 131 Inlet 132 Outlet 141 Orifice plate 142 Fils valve 143 hole

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A compressed air supply means for compressing and supplying air, a condensing means connected to the compressed air supply means for condensing compressed air, and a gas-liquid separator connected to the condensing means for separating moisture in the compressed air. Discharging means connected to the discharging means and the gas-liquid separating means for discharging drain, and a drain valve connected downstream of the gas-liquid separating means through a switching valve for selectively switching a flow path of the compressed air. A plurality of concentrated oxygen generating means for generating concentrated oxygen by separating oxygen and oxygen, and a means for adjusting the oxygen concentration of the concentrated oxygen obtained from the concentrated oxygen generating means, and supplying concentrated oxygen having an arbitrary oxygen concentration In the oxygen concentrator, a spiral flow path is provided in the gas-liquid separation means to give a swirling motion to the compressed air, and an electromagnetic valve is used for the drain discharge means to instantaneously expand the compressed air by its instantaneous opening and closing operation. Oxygen concentrators, characterized in that. 2. The oxygen concentrator according to claim 1, wherein the solenoid valve is operated immediately before the operation of the switching valve. 3. A flow path for the concentrated oxygen supplied through each means for condensing moisture in the compressed air, separating the compressed air into gas and liquid, and generating concentrated oxygen from the compressed gas and the liquid, In the oxygen concentrator, which mixes the flow path for supplying compressed air that is not concentrated through a mixing valve and mixes and controls concentrated oxygen to an arbitrary oxygen concentration and supplies the mixed oxygen, the mixing valve is provided with an orifice plate in the pipe. An oxygen concentrator characterized by using an orifice valve.