JP2004305548A - Gas supply apparatus for respiration - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a gas supply apparatus for respiration in which the main cock of an oxygen gas cylinder can be easily closed by a proper force and the closing can be understood. <P>SOLUTION: A control unit 2 has at least a container which fills at least high-pressure respiration gas, the main cock, a pressure reducing means for reducing the high-pressure respiration gas supplied from the container via the main cock, a flow rate setting means for setting the flow rate of the respiration gas pressure-reduced by the pressure reducing means to a predetermined flow rate, a main cock opening/closing means 21 for indirectly opening/closing the main cock by turning an operating unit and further the main cock opening/closing means of the constituent element. A container unit 1 has a residual constituting element not built in the container, the main cock and the control unit as a respiration gas supply source. A respiration gas supply apparatus is separable from and integrated with the control unit 2 and the container unit 1. In the respiration gas supply apparatus, the main cock opening/closing means has an excessive closing preventing means. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a container filled with a high-pressure breathing gas, a main valve, a decompression unit for depressurizing the high-pressure breathing gas supplied from the container via the main valve, and the respiratory gas depressurized by the decompression unit. A flow rate setting means for setting the flow rate to a predetermined flow rate, a main unit opening / closing means for indirectly opening / closing a main cock by turning an operation unit, and a control unit portion having at least a main cock opening / closing means as the constituent element, The present invention relates to a respiratory gas supply device which can be separated and combined with a container unit portion serving as a respiratory gas supply source having the remaining components not incorporated in a control unit portion.
[0002]
[Prior art]
One of the most effective treatments for respiratory diseases such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis is oxygen inhalation therapy. In recent years, for this therapy, oxygen cylinders or oxygen-rich air supplied by concentrating oxygen in the air have been developed. Activated air supply devices have been used. In such a device, when performing oxygen inhalation therapy in a hospital or home, a large-capacity fixed oxygen cylinder or an oxygen-enriched air supply device is used, but when a patient goes to a hospital or goes out of home. The main type is a portable oxygen cylinder.
[0003]
Such a portable oxygen cylinder is reduced in size and weight so that it can be carried even by a patient with respiratory illness without physical strength, and with such a reduction in size and weight, the amount of oxygen gas that can be charged is reduced as much as possible. High pressure oxygen gas is charged for more.
[0004]
However, since oxygen gas filled at a high pressure such as 20 MPa cannot be supplied to a patient as it is, a pressure reducing means such as a pressure reducing valve is required. Further, in order to supply the oxygen flow rate prescribed by the doctor to the patient, a flow rate setting means for adjusting the supplied oxygen flow rate is required. In addition, a container for storing the oxygen gas needs a main stopper so that the supply of the filled oxygen gas can be started or stopped by the patient at will.
[0005]
Conventionally, as the main cock, an operating member constituted by a handle or a knob is provided, and when opening the main cock, a method of closing or opening a flow path by turning the operating member is mainly used. I have. That is, when opening the flow path of the main cock, the valve body is separated from the valve seat by turning the operating member to open the flow path of the breathing gas, and conversely, when closing, the operating member is turned to the opposite side to the opening. To press the valve body against the valve seat to overcome the pressure of the breathing gas and shut off the flow path. However, such a valve body is often made of a resin or the like, and if the pressing force against the valve seat is too large, the valve body may be plastically deformed, and the life of the valve body may be significantly shortened. Moreover, even with a simple operation of closing the main plug by turning an operating member constituted by a handle or a knob, it is not easy for a user to appropriately operate the main plug with an appropriate tightening force. A situation occurs in which tightening is performed with excessive torque.
[0006]
Therefore, a method of marking the rotation stop position of the operation member and stopping the rotation at that position may be considered. However, using such a method, even if it is tightened with an appropriate force, the valve plug gradually collapses due to rubbing between the valve body and the valve seat, etc. There is also a situation that goes.
[0007]
Then, in the initial state, the main cock can be properly closed by rotating the operation member to the marked position, but after long-term use, it is assumed that the operation member is rotated to the predetermined mark. This also causes a situation in which the force required to press the valve body against the valve seat and close the open flow path cannot be obtained due to factors such as the collapse of the valve body described above. Therefore, there is a great problem in defining the valve closing position only by the angle or position at which the operation member is turned.
[0008]
Nevertheless, even if such a problem is left unchecked and the user turns the operating member to the position that was initially closed with the intention of closing the main valve, the valve is actually completely closed. There are times when you don't. Then, the oxygen gas in the container leaks out of the container even though it is not used. This is not preferable in terms of safety because not only does oxygen gas be consumed uselessly, but gas having a high oxygen concentration leaks out. For this reason, in a situation where it cannot be confirmed whether or not the door has been closed with an appropriate force, it is unavoidable that the user turns the operation member more than necessary and tightens it with excessive torque from the viewpoint of preventing gas leakage. become.
[0009]
However, such a situation is not always preferable. For such a reason, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3294890 has a built-in overtightening mechanism. Gate valves have been proposed. However, if such a method is adopted, it is necessary to attach a gate valve having a built-in overtightening mechanism to each of the containers such as oxygen cylinders filled with oxygen gas, so that the number of containers is matched. There is a problem that a gate valve is required and the cost increases accordingly.
[0010]
In particular, a container filled with oxygen gas needs to be replaced with another container when the oxygen gas is consumed, and is transported many times between the patient's home and the oxygen filling company, and the filling and transporting operation is performed. Due to the nature of the container, the container is often handled roughly, so that mounting a gate valve or the like to complicate the container portion also causes a failure. In addition, if the overtightening prevention mechanism provided in this way fails for some reason, the main stopper cannot be operated, and in such a case, there is no way to stop the oxygen leak itself. In addition, there is no way to know that the deadline has been reached.Therefore, there is also a problem that when a patient with a weak force is operating, it is not possible to judge whether the operation has been stopped properly due to the proper tightening or insufficient force. is there.
[0011]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent No. 3294890
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In view of the above-mentioned various problems of the related art, the problems to be solved by the present invention are as follows.
[0013]
That is, an object of the present invention is to easily and easily confirm that a person having physical handicap, such as a patient having a respiratory illness or an elderly female caregiver, does not operate with great force and closes. An object of the present invention is to provide a respiratory gas supply device capable of closing off a main valve of an oxygen cylinder with an appropriate force.
[0014]
Moreover, it is possible to avoid providing an overtightened sluice valve or the like in each container part such as an oxygen cylinder as in the prior art, thereby coping with rough handling in distribution of transferring the oxygen cylinder to a patient at home. Furthermore, even in a situation where the function cannot be exhibited, even if the patient has weakened physical strength, it is possible to provide a breathing gas supply device that can safely and reliably open and close the main valve. is there.
[0015]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
Here, as the present invention for achieving the above object, a container filled with a high-pressure breathing gas according to claim 1, a main stopper allowing the breathing gas to flow freely, and the container via the main stopper A pressure reducing means for reducing the pressure of the high-pressure breathing gas supplied from the apparatus, a flow rate setting means for setting a flow rate of the breathing gas reduced by the pressure reducing means to a predetermined flow rate, and indirectly opening and closing the main cock. Therefore, there is provided a breathing gas supply device having at least a main cock opening / closing means connected to the main cock and an overtightening prevention means for preventing the main cock attached to the main cock opening / closing means from overtightening. .
[0016]
Further, as in the present invention according to claim 2, "when the overtightening prevention means closes the main cock, the force for operating the overtightening prevention means is controlled by a clutch mechanism to tighten the main cock. It is preferable to provide a respiratory gas supply device according to claim 1, wherein when opening the main cock, the force for operating the overtightening prevention means is transmitted as a force for opening the main cock.
[0017]
In addition, as in the present invention according to claim 3, "when operated with a force higher than the force required to close the main cock, a means for notifying an excessive tightening by hearing, vision, and / or touch is provided. It is desirable to use a "respiratory gas supply device according to claim 1 or 2".
[0018]
Furthermore, as in the present invention according to claim 4, "a control unit capable of being united and separated freely with respect to a container unit having at least the container, the main stopper and the pressure reducing means is configured, and It is preferable that the respiratory gas supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 provided on the control unit side.
[0019]
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a demand regulator that detects a user's respiratory cycle and supplies the respiratory gas required by the user in synchronism with inspiration. The breathing gas supply device according to any one of Items 1 to 4, is desirable.
[0020]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.
[0021]
First, FIG. 1 is an explanatory view (perspective view) schematically illustrating a preferred embodiment of a container unit 1 which is a supply source for supplying respiratory gas used in the present invention.
[0022]
In FIG. 1, the container unit 1 includes a container body 10 filled with a high-pressure breathing gas, a main stopper 11, a pressure reducing means 12, a filling port 13, and one connection joint 14 of a pair of connection joints. ing. The main plug 11, the decompression means 12, the filling port 13, the connection joint 14a, and the like are integrated, and the element parts constituting the integrated container unit 1 are screwed into the neck 10a of the container body 10. By a known connection method such as a connection method, a flange connection method, and a high-pressure coupler connection method, the breathing gas in the container 10 filled with high pressure is fixed so as not to leak out.
[0023]
In the embodiment of the container unit 1 described above, after the pressure is once reduced through the pressure reducing means 12, the reduced breathing gas is supplied from the connection joint 14a to a control unit (to be described later) provided at a subsequent stage. As described above, by adopting a structure capable of supplying a reduced-pressure, low-pressure breathing gas to the control unit, the control unit can use a special-purpose low-pressure gas instead of a high-pressure gas. There is no need for a pressure-resistant structure, so that the device structure and mechanism relating to the sealing properties and connection method of the connection joint 14 can be simplified, and it is possible to form the structure with inexpensive parts. In addition, there is a feature that even if a patient performs a wrong operation, the danger of being directly exposed to high pressure can be avoided.
[0024]
As described above, the control unit is attached to the container unit 1. The control unit includes at least main plug opening / closing means for indirectly operating the main plug 11 of the container unit 1. Hereinafter, the control unit will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 2 which is an explanatory diagram (perspective view) schematically illustrating the control unit according to the embodiment.
[0025]
In FIG. 2, reference numeral 2 denotes the control unit, and the control unit 2 is connected to an external side that can be operated by a user through a cover 20, such as a connection joint 14 b and a knob for opening and closing a main plug. An operation member 21, a main stopper adapter 22, a flow rate setting dial 23 for adjusting the flow rate of breathing gas, a nozzle (cannula supply port) 24 for connecting a cannula, and the like are attached. It is more preferable that the control unit 2 includes a demand regulator that detects a user's respiratory cycle and supplies the respiratory gas required by the user in synchronization with inhalation.
[0026]
The control unit 2 configured as described above is used by being attached to the container unit 1 as described above. At this time, the main plug 11 for supplying breathing gas is connected to the main plug adapter 22. The main plug adapter 22 is connected to the main plug opening / closing means 21 via the overtightening prevention means 25. For this reason, if the main cock opening / closing means 21 is rotated, the main cock 11 can be opened and closed. The connection joint 14b forms a detachable pair with the connection joint 14a provided in the container unit 1, and if these are connected and communicated, a flow path for breathing gas is established.
[0027]
Next, with respect to the flow rate setting dial 23, by turning the dial 23, the flow rate of the respiratory gas depressurized through the decompression means 12 shown in FIG. 1 can be adjusted to an appropriate amount. Further, a demand regulator (not shown) detects a user's respiration and performs control for supplying a respiratory gas in synchronization with the user's inhalation. Finally, the cannula connection nozzle 24 serves to connect to a flexible conduit (not shown), and the other end of the flexible conduit for supplying breathing gas into the mouth and nasal cavity of the user. A cannula or mask is connected.
[0028]
In the embodiment according to the control unit 2 of the present invention configured as described above, a major feature of the present invention is that the main cock opening / closing means 21 includes the overtightening prevention means 25. The relationship between the overtightening prevention means 25, the main plug opening / closing means 21, the main plug adapter 22, and the main plug 11, which is a characteristic configuration of the present invention, will be described below in detail with reference to FIG.
[0029]
The overtightening prevention means 25 is preferably attached to the control unit 2 side, not to the container unit 1 side. This is because, in this manner, the overtightening prevention means 25 is usually provided for the control unit 2 in which only about one third of the quantity of the container unit 1 is distributed. This is because the cost can be kept low. In addition, in this manner, the control unit 2 is always placed under the user, is not frequently transported, and is roughly handled by a handling company during distribution as in the case of the container unit 1. Is gone. For this reason, the failure rate can be drastically reduced, and even if the overtightening prevention means 25 breaks down for some reason, if the control unit 2 is separated from the container unit 1, the main plug 11 can be easily and reliably closed. You can also.
[0030]
Further, in FIG. 3, the main plug opening / closing means 21 and the main plug adapter 22 which are rotatably attached to the cover 20 are connected through the overtightening prevention means 25. The main plug adapter 22 is provided with a plurality of grooves 22a in a spline shape so as to engage with the main plug 11, and in addition, the mouth portion is also provided with a chamfer. Therefore, by simply mounting the control unit 2 in the direction of the arrow in the figure, the main plug adapter 22 and the main plug 11 are automatically linked to each other, whereby the main plug adapter 22 and the main plug 11 can rotate in the same phase.
[0031]
Details of the overtightening prevention means 25 described above will be described below with reference to FIG. 4 in addition to FIG. In FIG. 4, a part of the control unit 2 is sectioned so that the internal structure can be clearly understood.
[0032]
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, a friction clutch system is used to control the torque transmitted to the main plug adapter 22 when the main plug opening / closing means 21 is operated, and the configuration of the friction clutch includes a fixing plate 25a. , A movable plate 25b, and a spring 25c. At this time, since the other end of the fixing plate 25a is connected and fixed to the main plug adapter 22, the fixing plate 25a and the main plug adapter 22 can rotate in the same phase in conjunction with each other. Further, the movable plate 25b rotates in the same phase as the main cock opening / closing means 21, but is mounted so as to be movable in the thrust direction. Further, the movable plate 25b is pressed against the fixed plate 25a by a spring 25c, and a frictional force is generated by the action of the pressing force, and the torque is transmitted by the frictional force.
[0033]
Therefore, considering the case where the main cock 11 is closed, when the torque for rotating the main cock opening / closing means 21 becomes smaller than the frictional force, the fixed plate 25a and the movable plates 25 and b rotate in the same phase, but the force for rotating the main cock opening / closing means 21 Is larger than the frictional force, slippage occurs between the fixed plate 25a and the movable plate 25b, and torque is not transmitted. At this time, the sawtooth-shaped steps (ratchets) 25d and 25e provided on the mutual contact surface side between the fixed plate 25a and the movable plate 25b slide on each other, and the movable plate 25b generates a clicking sound in the thrust direction. Move. For this reason, it is possible to notify the operator of the over-tightening from the generation of such a sound through the auditory sense together with the tactile sense.
[0034]
Conversely, considering the case where the main plug 11 is to be opened, in this case, the raised surfaces of the sawtooth-shaped steps (ratchets) 25d and 25e are engaged with each other and do not slip on each other. All force is transmitted to the mains plug adapter 22. Therefore, even when the main plug 11 is directly tightened with an excessive force, it can be opened indirectly by the main plug opening / closing means 21.
[0035]
Note that the torque transmission control in the above-described embodiment is performed by a clutch method. However, other methods, for example, a method in which a winding force of a spring wound around a shaft is applied without changing the gist of the present invention. It goes without saying that other methods such as the one used may be appropriately adopted.
[0036]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the present invention confirms that physically handicapped persons, such as patients with respiratory illness or elderly female caregivers, closed without operating with great force. The effect of being able to provide a breathing gas supply device that can easily and easily close the main valve of the oxygen cylinder with an appropriate force can be obtained.
[0037]
Moreover, it is possible to avoid providing an overtightened sluice valve or the like in each container part such as an oxygen cylinder as in the prior art, thereby coping with rough handling in distribution of transferring the oxygen cylinder to a patient at home. Further, it is possible to provide a respiratory gas supply device that can safely and reliably open and close the main valve even in a patient whose physical strength has deteriorated even if the function cannot be exhibited. It also has a very remarkable effect of being able to do so.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an explanatory view (perspective view) schematically exemplifying a preferred embodiment of a container unit used in the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory view (perspective view) schematically exemplarily illustrating an embodiment of a control unit having at least an overtightening prevention means.
FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory view of a portion where the main plug adapter and the main plug engage with each other in the embodiment of the control unit according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a schematic explanatory view of an internal structure in an embodiment of the overtightening prevention means of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Container unit 2 Control unit 10 Container main body 10a Container neck 11 Main stopper 12 Decompression means 13 Filling port 14a Connection joint 14b Connection joint 20 Cover 21 Main stopper opening / closing means 22 Main stopper adapter 22a Groove 23 Flow setting dial 24 Cannula connection nozzle 25 Prevention of overtightening Means 25a Fixed plate 25b Movable plate 25c Spring 25d Serrated step (fixed plate side)
25e Serrated step (movable plate side)

Claims (5)

A container filled with a high-pressure breathing gas, a main cock for allowing the breathing gas to flow freely, a decompression means for decompressing the high-pressure breathing gas supplied from the container via the main cock, and the decompression means Flow rate setting means for setting the flow rate of the respiratory gas depressurized to a predetermined flow rate, a main cock opening / closing means connected to the main cock for indirectly opening / closing the main cock, and attached to the main cock opening / closing means. A respiratory gas supply device comprising at least overtightening prevention means for preventing overtightening of the main plug. When the overtightening prevention means closes the main cock, the force for operating the overtightening prevention means is controlled by a clutch mechanism and transmitted as a tightening force of the main cock. 2. The respiratory gas supply device according to claim 1, wherein a force for operating the passing prevention means is transmitted as a force for opening the main cock. The respiratory gas supply device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising means for notifying an overtightening by an auditory, visual, and / or tactile sense when operated with a force or more necessary to close the main cock. . 4. The control unit according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured such that the control unit can be freely combined and separated with respect to the container unit having at least the container, the main stopper and the pressure reducing unit, and the overtightening prevention unit is provided on the control unit side. A respiratory gas supply device according to claim 1. The respiratory gas supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a demand regulator that detects a respiratory cycle of the user and supplies the respiratory gas required by the user in synchronization with inspiration.

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