JP2005198804A - Oxygen concentrator - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an oxygen concentrator of a light weight and low noise by suppressing the increase of its weight and the increase of the number of parts with respect to a pressure swing adsorption type oxygen concentrator. <P>SOLUTION: This oxygen concentrator has a compressor built therein, wherein an air introduction piping to the compressor and/or a compressed air derivation piping from the compressor are formed of an elastic piping material having elasticity, and the elastic piping material is a support member which supports the compressor. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a noise reduction technique for a compressor. More specifically, the present invention relates to a device having a function of reducing compressor noise, particularly in a medical device that is required to be quiet, such as an oxygen concentrator that separates oxygen in the air using a compressor.

  Conventionally, oxygen inhalation therapy for inhaling high concentrations of oxygen has been performed for patients with chronic respiratory diseases such as emphysema, pulmonary tuberculosis sequelae and chronic bronchitis. The oxygen inhalation therapy is a treatment method in which the above-mentioned diseased patient inhales a high concentration oxygen gas or oxygen enriched gas. High pressure oxygen cylinders, liquid oxygen cylinders, oxygen concentrators, etc. can be used to supply the oxygen gas and concentrated oxygen gas to the patient. However, oxygen enrichment is possible because it can withstand long-term continuous use and is easy to use. The number of cases where devices are used is increasing.

  The oxygen concentrator is an apparatus that makes it possible to separate and concentrate oxygen in the air. As such an oxygen concentrator, an adsorption-type oxygen concentrator in which one or more adsorbents capable of selectively adsorbing nitrogen are packed from the viewpoint that high concentration oxygen of 90% or more can be obtained. Widely used. Among them, a pressure fluctuation adsorption type oxygen concentrator using a compressor as a pressure fluctuation device is widely used as a medical device for patients with respiratory diseases.

  Such pressure fluctuation adsorption type oxygen concentrators usually supply compressed air from a compressor to one or more adsorption beds filled with an adsorbent that selectively adsorbs nitrogen, and the inside of the adsorption bed is pressurized. The adsorption process to obtain high concentration of oxygen and the desorption process to desorb the nitrogen by depressurizing the inside of the adsorption bed, and repeat this in a fixed cycle to obtain high concentration oxygen It is.

  However, compressors that generate pressurized air are the cause of vibration and noise in the oxygen concentrator, and the noise and vibration generated by the compressor are uncomfortable for patients who use this device and their families. There is a risk of giving. In particular, at the time of going to bed, there is a concern that the sleep of the patient or the patient's family may be disturbed and adversely affect mental health.

  Noise fluctuation elements of the pressure fluctuation adsorption oxygen concentrator include pressure fluctuation compressor solid sound, same intake sound, same exhaust sound, compressor drive motor sound, adsorption bed purge airflow sound, cooling fan sound in the housing, etc. Can be mentioned. Among them, compressor noise is roughly divided into its own solid sound, compressor intake sound, exhaust sound, and the like, and the proportion of the total noise is large. There is also secondary noise generated from another component excited by the vibration of the compressor.

  Further, with the recent miniaturization of the device, reducing the number of parts and the volume of the device improves the compliance of patients who use such a device.

A refrigerator is mentioned as a typical example of the apparatus using a compressor. In order to generate large vibrations, compressors use various vibration and soundproofing technologies. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-81767 discloses a mechanism for absorbing vibration by placing a bracket on both the compressor and the compressor box and sandwiching the vibration-proof material with respect to the vibration-proof support of the compressor whose vibration direction is the vertical direction. It has been introduced. According to this method, effective vibration isolation is possible. However, the number of parts such as brackets on the compressor side, brackets on the box side, vibration isolator, bolts and nuts for fastening, etc. increases. Further, there are problems such as requiring a volume for installing the vibration isolator and an increase in weight, which is one of the factors that hinder the reduction in size and weight of the oxygen concentrator main body.
JP-A-6-81767

  The present invention is intended to solve the problems of the noise reduction and vibration suppression technology of such a compressor. At the same time, the silencer itself is reduced in size, and at the same time, the medical device main body such as an oxygen concentrator is reduced in size and weight. To realize a small, lightweight, and low noise device.

  As a result of intensive studies on the problem, the present inventors have found the following devices. That is, the present invention is a device with a built-in compressor inside the apparatus, wherein the air introduction pipe to the compressor and / or the compressed air lead-out pipe from the compressor is made of elastic elastic pipe material, and the elastic pipe material An apparatus is provided that is a support member that supports a compressor.

  Further, the present invention provides an apparatus in which the compressor is supported by a suspension structure by the air introduction pipe and / or the compressed air lead-out pipe or by a lifting structure. In particular, an apparatus comprising a box surrounding the compressor inside the apparatus, and comprising the elastic pipe between a fixed pipe fixed to the box wall and an air inlet pipe and / or a compressed air outlet pipe of the compressor. It is to provide.

  The present invention also provides an apparatus characterized in that the elastic piping material is a fluororesin tube or a silicon tube.

  Furthermore, the present invention relates to an oxygen concentrating apparatus comprising an adsorption bed filled with an adsorbent that selectively adsorbs nitrogen over oxygen, and a compressor that supplies compressed air to the adsorption bed. Alternatively, the present invention provides a medical oxygen concentrator characterized in that the compressed air outlet pipe from the compressor is made of an elastic pipe material having elasticity, and the elastic pipe material is a support member that supports the compressor. .

  The medical device using the compressor suspension method provided by the present invention, particularly the oxygen concentrator, can realize a reduction in size, weight, number of parts, and noise reduction. As a result, it can contribute to the improvement of QOL (quality of life) of oxygen inhalation therapy patients.

  An oxygen concentrator which is a preferred example according to an embodiment of the present invention is an apparatus that separates nitrogen in air and supplies high-concentration oxygen. For example, as an adsorbent that can selectively adsorb nitrogen from oxygen This is a pressure fluctuation adsorption type oxygen concentrator that takes out oxygen by filling molecular sieve zeolite 5A, 13X or lithium-based zeolite into an adsorption cylinder and supplying pressurized air produced by an air compressor.

  The oxygen concentrator of this embodiment which is a pressure fluctuation type adsorption oxygen concentrator will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of the oxygen concentrator of this embodiment.

  Pressurized air compressed by the compressor 5 from the atmosphere is supplied to the adsorption cylinder 2 filled with the adsorbent 3 that selectively adsorbs nitrogen rather than oxygen through the intake silencer 16, and the inside of the adsorption cylinder 2 is pressurized. In this state, nitrogen is adsorbed and oxygen that has not been adsorbed is taken out. The oxygen taken out from the adsorption cylinder 2 is stored in the surge tank 4, and then the oxygen supply flow rate is set by the flow rate setting device 10 and supplied to the user via the nasal cannula 12.

  Here, since the amount of nitrogen that can be adsorbed in one process is determined by the amount and type of the adsorbent 3, the adsorbent 3 is switched before the amount of nitrogen adsorbed on the adsorbent 3 is saturated. By switching the valve 9, the adsorption cylinder 2 is opened to the atmosphere, the inside of the adsorption cylinder 2 is decompressed, nitrogen is desorbed, and the adsorbent 3 is regenerated. Further, the flow path switching valve 9 is controlled by the control device 11 so as to be switched at a preset time. In order to increase the amount of adsorption / desorption in one process, the pressure inside the adsorption cylinder 2 in the desorption process may be evacuated using a vacuum pump. An exhaust silencer 15 is provided on the purge side of the flow path switching valve 9.

  The compressor 5 includes a compressor drive motor 6 for driving the compressor 5, and the compressor drive motor 6 rotates at the rotation speed set by the control device 11 to drive the compressor 5 to rotate. The compressor compression mechanism 8 compresses air by the rotational force obtained by the compressor drive motor 6, and there are various types depending on the compression method. As the compressor 5 used in the oxygen concentrator 1, a reciprocating piston type or a rotary scroll type is generally used, but any type can be used as long as it can compress air in the atmosphere. You may use. Such a compressor has at least one supply air introduction port and one compression discharge port, and each is connected to an adsorption bed or a suitable place in the apparatus.

  Next, a compressor suspension method included in the oxygen concentrator of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 2 shows a conventional example in which a compressor is supported by a bracket. A box 17 for soundproofing the compressor is enclosed, and the bracket 22 of the compressor and the bracket 24 of the box are sandwiched between appropriate vibration-proofing materials 23 and fixed with bolts and nuts. According to this method, while effective vibration isolation is possible, the number of parts such as brackets, vibration isolation materials, and fastening parts increases, and the weight and volume increase.

  FIG. 3 is a preferred example according to an embodiment of the present invention. The example which supported the compressor only with the elastic tube is shown. In the compressor, tubes 28 and 29 are attached to an intake port 20 and an exhaust port 21 from the compressor by an appropriate method such as a hose band. The tube is attached to a box 17 for preventing a solid sound from the compressor body. The tube support portion 25 is constituted by a fixed pipe provided in the box, and supports the tube and the compressor. Since the compressor bottom weight and vibration are repeatedly applied to the bottom of the box, it must be rigid. However, since no force acts on the other wall surface, a thin material can be used, and the weight can be reduced as a whole.

Further, the tube needs to have appropriate elasticity so as not to propagate vibrations to the box 17, and it is necessary that the tube does not buckle against the weight of the compressor. In this example, Viton- ^TM was used as the fluorine resin tube. It is also possible to use a silicon tube. Furthermore, any elastic material can be used as long as the vibration-proof performance can be maintained and the weight can be supported. By supporting with such a Viton tube, the number of parts such as brackets, vibration-proof materials, fastening parts, etc. is dramatically reduced compared to conventional bracket-mounted types, and the volume required for vibration prevention is also reduced. It becomes possible to make it smaller.

  FIG. 4 shows noise data of the embodiment of FIG. As a comparison, comparison was made with the noise data of the conventional apparatus shown in FIG. A sound absorbing material is attached to the inside of the compressor box, and the sound emitted from the compressor is reflected in the box and absorbed by the sound absorbing material. The compressor radiated sound can be greatly silenced over the region of 125Hz or higher. When the vibration of the compressor is transmitted, the box itself vibrates and the silencing effect cannot be obtained. However, in this embodiment, the compressor radiated sound can be attenuated very efficiently, and a secondary solid due to the vibration of the box. The generation of sound is suppressed.

  In addition to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the suspension direction by the tube may be a method in which the compressor is suspended from the upper portion by a tube as shown in FIG. In this case, the upper surface of the box to which the tube is connected needs to have a highly rigid shape and material. In addition to the compressor box, the object to be suspended can be a soundproof wall, a frame, a housing, and the like.

It is a block diagram of the oxygen concentration apparatus which is a preferable Example which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of an example of the compressor vibration proof suspension method using the vibration proof material used conventionally. It is a block diagram of the compressor box which the oxygen concentrator of FIG. 1 has, and the suspension method of the compressor box. The sound pressure level in the embodiment of FIG. It is a suspension method block diagram of the modification of this invention in which a detailed structure differs from the suspension method of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Oxygen concentrator 2 Adsorption cylinder 3 Adsorbent 4 Surge tank 5 Compressor 6 Compressor drive motor 7 Cooling fan 8 Compressor compression mechanism part 9 Flow path switching valve 10 Flow rate setting device 11 Control device 12 Nasal cannula 13 Inlet 14 Outlet 15 Exhaust Silencer 16 Intake silencer 17 Compressor box 18 Intake tube 19 Exhaust tube 20 Intake port 21 Exhaust port 22 Bracket (compressor side)
23 Anti-vibration material 24 Bracket (compressor box side)
25 Box tube support (fixed piping)
28 Elastic support piping for intake 29 Elastic support piping for exhaust

Claims (6)

  A device incorporating a compressor inside the apparatus, wherein the air introduction pipe to the compressor and / or the compressed air outlet pipe from the compressor is made of elastic elastic pipe material, and the elastic pipe material supports the compressor Equipment characterized by being a member.   The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the compressor is supported by a suspension structure by the air introduction pipe and / or the compressed air outlet pipe.   The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the compressor is supported by a lifting structure by the air introduction pipe and / or the compressed air lead-out pipe.   A box surrounding the compressor is provided inside the apparatus, and the elastic pipe is provided between a fixed pipe fixed to the box wall and an air introduction pipe and / or a compressed air outlet pipe of the compressor. 3. The device according to 3.   The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the elastic piping material is a fluorine-based resin tube or a silicon tube.   In an oxygen concentrator equipped with an adsorbent bed filled with an adsorbent that selectively adsorbs nitrogen rather than oxygen, and a compressor that supplies compressed air to the adsorbent bed, an air introduction pipe to the compressor and / or compression from the compressor An oxygen concentrator, wherein the air outlet pipe is made of an elastic pipe material having elasticity, and the elastic pipe material is a support member that supports the compressor.

Images