JP2003275312A - Oxygen concentration device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an oxygen concentration device in which the mounting state of a humidifier can surely be grasped. <P>SOLUTION: The humidifier 39 is fitted to a recessed humidifier mounting part 85 formed on the front face part 61 of an oxygen concentration device body 2. That is, the humidifier 39 is pushed into the mounting part 85 to be mounted. On a wall surface 86 in the depth of the mounting part 85, a humidifier switch 45 is arranged. When the humidifier 39 is pushed into the mounting part 85 and mounted normally, the switch is turned on. When the humidifier 39 is not mounted normally, the switch is not turned on since it is not pressurized sufficiently. Further, a flow display lamp 68 is not lighted when the switch 45 is off even though high density oxygen is supplied as a result of turning on of a power source. When the humidifier 39 is not mounted normally, an abnormality information lamp 70 is lighted. In addition, information of abnormal mounting of the humidifier 39 is given with sound (buzzer or electronic sound) or voice. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an oxygen concentrator for producing high concentration oxygen by adsorbing and removing nitrogen from air, for example, and humidifying the oxygen to supply it to a patient or the like. Is.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a medical oxygen concentrator has been used for home oxygen therapy or the like as a device capable of supplying a high concentration of oxygen to a patient. In this type of oxygen concentrator, for example, air whose pressure has been increased by a compressor is sent to an adsorption column filled with a nitrogen adsorbent, and this adsorption column adsorbs and removes nitrogen from the air to remove oxygen-enriched gas (high It is known to produce a gas containing a concentration of oxygen).

When using this oxygen concentrator, the patient normally inhales oxygen using a nasal cannula, but since the oxygen generated from the oxygen concentrator is dry (because it is dry), As the patient's symptoms increase oxygen requirements, the nose may become dry and uncomfortable.

As a countermeasure against this, a method of attaching a humidifier to an oxygen concentrator and humidifying oxygen by the humidifier to supply it to a patient is generally adopted. That is, the purified water is put into the humidifier, the humidifier is detachably attached to the oxygen concentrator body, and oxygen is passed through the purified water in the humidifier to perform the humidification.

In the oxygen concentrator described above, the device for setting the flow rate of oxygen is usually a fixed type using an orifice, and the flow rate is set by switching the orifice with a rotary switch. Then, whether or not the set flow rate of oxygen is flowing is roughly judged by using a simple flow indicator using a float and looking at the flow indicator.

[0006]

However, there are many elderly patients as patients who use the oxygen concentrator,
When putting purified water into the humidifier and attaching it to the main body of the oxygen concentrator, there was a case where it could not be securely pushed into the attachment part and attached.

In this case, the conventional flow indicator indicates that oxygen is flowing, but if it is not properly attached, oxygen will flow out to the outside without flowing into the humidifier, or , There was a possibility that oxygen was not supplied from the humidifier to the main body of the oxygen concentrator. As a result, although the flow rate is set by the rotary switch according to the doctor's prescription, there is a possibility that the necessary flow rate is not actually supplied to the patient, which is not preferable.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an oxygen concentrator capable of reliably grasping the mounting state of a humidifier.

[0009]

Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention (1) The invention of claim 1 comprises an oxygen concentrator body for concentrating oxygen from the air to produce an oxygen concentrated gas, and the oxygen concentrator body. The present invention relates to an oxygen concentrator that performs humidification by passing the oxygen-concentrated gas through water in the humidifier, and in the present invention, the mounting state of the humidifier with respect to the oxygen concentrator body is It is characterized in that a mounting state detecting means for detecting is provided.

That is, according to the present invention, the mounting state detecting means detects the mounting state of the humidifier with respect to the oxygen concentrator body, so that the mounting abnormality (or non-mounting) of the humidifier can be surely grasped. Therefore, in the present invention, even if the patient who uses the oxygen concentrator is an elderly person or the like, it is possible to reliably check the attachment abnormality of the humidifier, so that the situation where oxygen does not flow into the humidifier due to the attachment abnormality or the humidification It is possible to reliably prevent the situation where oxygen is not supplied from the container to the oxygen concentrator main body side, which is more preferable than the conventional case.

(2) In the invention of claim 2, the mounting state detecting means is such that the humidifier is normally mounted on the oxygen concentrator body, is not normally mounted, or It is characterized by detecting the unmounted state. The present invention exemplifies the contents detected by the mounting state detecting means.

In the present invention, when the humidifier is normally attached to the oxygen concentrator body, is not normally attached, or is not attached, for example, a signal to that effect (that is, normally attached). By outputting a signal indicating that the humidifier is attached, a signal indicating that the humidifier is not normally attached, and a signal indicating that the humidifier is not attached, it is possible to reliably grasp the attachment state of the humidifier. On the contrary, by not outputting a signal indicating that effect (for example, a signal indicating that the humidifier is normally mounted), the mounting state of the humidifier can be surely grasped.

(3) In the invention of claim 3, the mounting state detecting means is any one of mechanical, electrical and optical means. The present invention exemplifies the configuration of the mounting state detecting means. Here, the mechanical means means that a detecting means such as a mechanical switch is activated by the operation of attaching / detaching the humidifier. For example, the operation of attaching / detaching the humidifier causes a predetermined member of the switch to move. , The means by which the switch is activated.

As an electrical means, a detecting means such as an electric switch is activated by the operation of attaching / detaching the humidifier. For example, the operation of attaching / detaching the humidifier causes a current to flow between predetermined terminals. Means the circuit is completed and the switch is actuated thereby. Note that the electrical means includes magnetic means that operates by fluctuation of magnetism.

Further, as an optical means, a detecting means such as an optical switch is activated by the operation of attaching / detaching the humidifier. For example, by the operation of attaching / detaching the humidifier, a light emitting element and a light receiving element are connected. The means by which the light path between them is blocked or bent, thereby actuating the switch.

(4) The invention according to claim 4 is characterized by comprising notifying means for notifying the mounting state of the humidifier detected by the mounting state detecting means. In the present invention,
When the mounting state of the humidifier is detected, the mounting state of the humidifier (for example, the mounting abnormality of the humidifier) is notified, and the patient or medical staff who receives the notification appropriately determines the notification content. Can respond.

(5) According to a fifth aspect of the invention, the informing means issues an alarm when the humidifier is not normally attached or not attached. In the present invention, when the wearing state of the humidifier is not normal or not attached, the fact is notified, and the patient or medical staff who has received the notification checks the wearing state of the humidifier or reattaches it. Can be done and is extremely safe.

(6) The invention of claim 6 is characterized in that the notifying means notifies by a display and / or a sound. The present invention exemplifies the content of the notification by the notification means. The contents of this notification include the operation of the lamp (lighting,
It may be turned off or blinking), or a display device such as a display may be used to display characters or a picture of the abnormality content. Alternatively, a buzzer sound, an electronic sound, a melody, or a voice notification may be used. In particular, it is preferable to combine the notification with the display and the sound.

Examples of the oxygen concentrator include a device for adsorbing and removing nitrogen from the air by a nitrogen adsorbent filled in an adsorption column to concentrate oxygen, and a device using an oxygen selective permeable membrane.

[0020]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, an example (embodiment) of an embodiment of an oxygen concentrator of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. (Example 1) In this example, oxygen is concentrated by adsorbing and removing nitrogen from the air using a nitrogen adsorbent,
An example is a medical oxygen concentrator (hereinafter referred to as an oxygen concentrator) that humidifies the oxygen-concentrated gas containing a high concentration of oxygen with a humidifier and supplies it to a patient.

A) First, each configuration for realizing the function of the oxygen concentrator of this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the oxygen concentrator 1 includes an air inlet 5, a dust filter 7, an intake filter 9, an intake muffler 10, a compressor 11, a heat exchanger 13, a heat exchanger 13, in an air introduction path 3 from the upstream side. A pair of switching valves (three-way switching valve) 15 and a pair of adsorption cylinders 17 filled with a nitrogen adsorbent are provided. A sirocco fan 19 is arranged near the compressor 11 and the heat exchanger 13.

Of these, the nitrogen adsorbent preferentially adsorbs nitrogen in the air when it is pressurized, and releases the adsorbed nitrogen when the pressure is lowered to regenerate the nitrogen adsorbent, which is a zeolite-based nitrogen. It is an adsorbent. In addition, a silencer 23 that silences intermittent exhaust noise is provided in the exhaust passage 21 that exhausts nitrogen from the pair of adsorption cylinders 17.

Furthermore, the supply passage 27 for supplying the oxygen-enriched gas from the pair of adsorption cylinders 17 is constituted by a pressure equalizing valve 29, which is a two-way valve for adjusting the pressure between the adsorption cylinders 17 from its upstream side, and an oxygen concentration gas. A pair of check valves 3 for preventing backflow of gas
0, a product tank 31 for storing the oxygen-enriched gas, a pressure regulator 33 for adjusting the pressure of the oxygen-enriched gas, a bacteria filter 35 for preventing passage of bacteria and the like, and a flow rate setting device which is a rotary switch for setting the flow rate of the oxygen-enriched gas. 37, a humidifier 39 for humidifying the oxygen-concentrated gas, and an oxygen outlet 41 are provided. An oxygen sensor 43 is arranged between the flow rate setter 37 and the humidifier 39.

As will be described in detail later, the humidifier 39 is attachable to and detachable from the oxygen concentrator body 2, and the mounting state of the humidifier 39 is detected near the position where the humidifier 39 is mounted. A humidifier switch (SW) 45 is provided. Further, the oxygen concentrator 1 of the present embodiment is provided with a steel box (metal case) 53 as shown by a dotted line in the figure as a structure for preventing noise, and as shown by a solid line in the figure, An outer case 55 that covers the

Of these, the metal case 53 is made of a metal plate having an inner side bonded with a vibration absorbing rubber and a sound absorbing material. The intake filter 9, the intake muffler 10 and the compressor 1 are provided.
1, heat exchanger 13, switching valve 15, sirocco fan 19,
It covers the silencer 23 and the like.

Further, as shown in the perspective view of FIG. 2, in the oxygen concentrator 1 of this embodiment, a front cover 63 is arranged on the front surface portion 61 thereof, and the front surface portion 61 has an air intake port 5, A humidifier 39, an operation panel 65, etc. are arranged.
The operation panel 65 is provided with a flow rate setting knob 67 for operating the flow rate setting device 37, a set flow rate display 64 for displaying the set flow rate, a power switch 69, and an oxygen outlet 41, and as will be described later in detail, oxygen concentration. A flow display lamp 68 that indicates a gas supply state and an abnormality notification lamp 70 that notifies an attachment abnormality of the humidifier 39 are provided.

In the oxygen concentrator 1 of the present embodiment having the above-mentioned structure, the compressed air is sent to the adsorption cylinder 17 by the compressor 11, and when the pressure of about 198 kPa is reached, the switching valve is switched to the other adsorption cylinder 17. It is switched by 15 and is electrically controlled so that the adsorbed nitrogen is discharged together with the reduced pressure.

Further, only oxygen can be extracted by the adsorption cylinder 17 at the time of pressurization, and the product tank 31, the pressure regulator 33, the bacteria filter 35, and the flow rate setter 3 located downstream thereof.
7. The oxygen concentrated gas is supplied to the oxygen outlet 41 through the humidifier 39. By repeating this alternately, 9
It is possible to continuously obtain concentrated oxygen of 0% or more, and further,
By accumulating in the product tank 31, variation is reduced and continuity is secured.

The oxygen concentrator 1 of this embodiment is a device having a continuous base flow rate of 5 L / min, a weight of 33 kg, a power consumption of 220 W, and an operating sound of 30 dB or less (in an anechoic chamber). b) Next, the configuration of the humidifier 39, which is the main part of this embodiment, will be described in more detail.

As shown in FIG. 3, the humidifier 39 for humidifying the oxygen-enriched gas comprises a transparent plastic container 71 containing water and an opaque plastic cap 73. The cap 73 has a cylindrical inlet portion 7 to which dry oxygen is supplied from the flow rate setting device 37.
5 and a cylindrical outlet portion 77 for supplying oxygen from the humidifier 39 to the oxygen outlet 41.

A plastic cylindrical pipe 79 is fitted into the inlet portion 75 from below, and the tip end side of the pipe 79 is placed in the water contained in the container 71. There is. Further, a bubble filter 83 is attached to the opening 81 at the tip of the pipe 79.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the humidifier 39
Is attached to a recessed humidifier mounting portion 85 which is a recess provided in the front surface portion 61 of the oxygen concentrator body 2. That is, the humidifier 39 is pushed from the front side to the back side of the paper surface of FIG. 4 (that is, from the right side to the left side of FIG. 5), and the inlet portion 75 of the humidifier 39 is connected to the flow rate setting unit 37. The outlet 77 is fitted into the connection port 89 connected to the oxygen outlet 41 while being fitted into the body 87.

As a result, the flow rate setting device 37 to the humidifier 3
A flow path reaching the oxygen outlet 41 via 9 is formed. Particularly in this embodiment, the wall surface 86 at the back of the humidifier mounting portion 85
Is provided with the humidifier switch 45. The humidifier switch 45 includes a rod 46 that is biased rightward in FIG. 5 by a spring or the like to project, and a switch unit (not shown) that is turned on and off by the movement of the rod 46. .

Therefore, when the humidifier 39 is pushed in and is normally attached, the rod 46 is pushed to the left side in FIG. 5, and the switch is turned on. On the other hand, when the humidifier 39 is not properly attached, the rod 46 is not sufficiently pressed, so the switch remains OFF.

Further, in the flow display lamp 68, normally, when the power switch 69 is pressed (the power is turned on), the oxygen-concentrated gas is discharged from the outlet (connection port 8) on the humidifier 39 side.
When it is supplied to 7), it lights up (or blinks).
That is, when the high concentration oxygen is detected by the oxygen sensor 43, the flow display lamp 68 lights (or blinks).
To do.

However, in this embodiment, the humidifier switch 4
When 5 is OFF, oxygen is high in the connection port 87, for example.
The flow indicator lamp 68 is turned off even if it is supplied to the side. That is, when the humidifier 39 is not normally attached or when the humidifier 39 is not attached, turning on (or blinking) of the flow display lamp 68 is prohibited.

At the same time, the humidifier switch 45 turns off.
In the case of F, similarly, even if the power is turned on and high-concentration oxygen is supplied, the abnormality notification lamp 70 is turned on (or blinks) to notify the attachment abnormality of the humidifier 39.
That is, when the humidifier 39 is not normally attached or when the humidifier 39 is not attached, the abnormality notification lamp 70 is turned on (or blinks).

It should be noted that the set flow rate display 64 is used to display characters or symbols indicating abnormalities, or by blinking (or blinking the current display), or the set flow rate display 64.
The abnormality may be notified by not displaying.
Further, in the present embodiment, even when the power is turned on and the high-concentration oxygen is supplied, the humidifier switch 45 turns off.
In the case of F, in order to notify the mounting abnormality of the humidifier 39, the fact is notified by sound (buzzer sound or electronic sound) or voice.

At least one of the flow display lamp 68, the abnormality notification lamp 70, and the set flow rate display 64 is used to
You may make it notify about the attachment abnormality or non-attachment of the humidifier 39. Further, although it may be possible to perform the notification only by display or only the sound, the more notification means, the more the safety is improved.

C) Next, the effect of this embodiment having the above-mentioned structure will be described. In the present embodiment, the humidifier switch 45 can detect whether the humidifier 39 is attached abnormally or not. When the mounting abnormality or non-mounting of the humidifier 39 is detected, the flow display lamp 68 and the abnormality notification lamp 70 are used to notify the surroundings by the display, and also the sound and the voice are notified in a well-known manner. It is highly safe.

That is, a patient using the oxygen concentrator 1
For example, when the humidifier 39 is attached to the oxygen concentrator body 2 by an elderly person, even if the humidifier 39 cannot be securely pushed into the depth of the attachment site and cannot be attached, the attachment abnormality is surely detected and the patient himself or herself is detected. Medical staff can be notified.

Therefore, since the humidifier 39 is not used when it is not sufficiently attached, the required flow rate is surely supplied to the patient, which is extremely preferable for patients in any condition. is there. (Embodiment 2) Next, an oxygen concentrator of Embodiment 2 will be described. This embodiment is different from Embodiment 1 in the switch portion for detecting the mounting state of the humidifier. explain.

Specifically, in the present embodiment, the above-mentioned first embodiment is used.
An optical switch is used instead of a mechanical switch such as. As the optical switch, for example, as shown in FIG. 6 (front view), the light emitting element 101 and the light receiving element 103 are sandwiched between the mounting positions (humidifier mounting portion) 107 of the humidifier 105, for example, in the left-right direction. It is possible to use those arranged vertically.

In this case, when the humidifier 105 is properly mounted, a non-translucent member such as the cap 109 of the humidifier 105 crosses the optical paths of the light emitting element 101 and the light receiving element 103. By doing so, the mounting state of the humidifier 105 can be reliably detected.

That is, when the humidifier 105 is normally attached (or not normally attached), a signal indicating that fact is obtained. (Third Embodiment) Next, an oxygen concentrator of a third embodiment will be described. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a switch portion for detecting the mounting state of the humidifier is different. explain.

Specifically, in this embodiment, the above-mentioned first embodiment is used.
An electrical switch is used instead of a mechanical switch like. As this electrical switch, for example, as shown in FIG. 7 (a cross-sectional view seen from above), a pair of terminals 115 and 117 are provided on a back wall surface 114 of a mounting position (humidifier mounting portion) 113 of the humidifier 111. , Placed and humidifier 111
A conductive layer 119 is provided at a position corresponding to the pair of terminals 115 and 117 on the outer peripheral surface of the.
A structure (not shown) that generates a signal or the like when the pair of terminals 115 and 117 is conductive can be provided at the other end of the.

In this case, when the humidifier 111 is properly mounted, the conductive layer 119 of the humidifier 111 is configured so that the pair of terminals 115 and 117 come into contact with each other.
The mounting state of the humidifier 111 can be reliably detected. That is, when the humidifier 111 is normally attached (or not normally attached), a signal indicating that fact is obtained.

Needless to say, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and can be carried out in various modes without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, in each of the above-described embodiments, the humidifier provided in the oxygen concentrator has been described, but other than this, the present invention can be applied to a case where the humidifier is connected to an oxygen cylinder, for example.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a basic configuration of an oxygen concentrator according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the oxygen concentrator of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a humidifier of the oxygen concentrator of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of a mounting portion of the humidifier of the oxygen concentrator of the first embodiment as viewed from the front.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a mounting portion of the humidifier of the oxygen concentrator of the first embodiment in a cutaway manner.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an optical switch that detects a mounting state of the humidifier according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing an electric switch for detecting a mounting state of the humidifier according to the third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Oxygen concentrator 39, 105,
111 ... Humidifier 61 ... Operation panel 45 ... Humidifier switch 68 ... Flow indicator lamp 70 ... Abnormality notification lamp 85, 107, 113 ... Humidifier mounting part 87, 89 ... Connection port

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. An oxygen concentrator body for producing oxygen-concentrated gas by concentrating oxygen from the air is provided, a humidifier is attached to the oxygen concentrator body, and the oxygen-concentrated gas is mixed with water in the humidifier. An oxygen concentrator that humidifies by passing through an oxygen concentrator, comprising: mounting state detection means for detecting a mounting state of the humidifier with respect to the oxygen concentrator body. 2. The mounting state detecting means detects whether the humidifier is normally mounted, not normally mounted, or not mounted on the oxygen concentrator body. The oxygen concentrator according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The oxygen concentrator according to claim 1, wherein the mounting state detecting means is any one of mechanical, electrical, and optical means. 4. The oxygen concentrator according to claim 1, further comprising an informing unit for informing an attached state of the humidifier detected by the attached state detecting unit. 5. The oxygen concentrator according to claim 4, wherein the notification means issues an alarm when the wearing condition of the humidifier is not normal or not installed. 6. The oxygen concentrator according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the notifying means notifies by a display and / or a sound.