JP2007282653A - Product tank - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To realize the miniaturization of an oxygen concentrator as a whole along with a lower prize by accomplishing the miniaturization of a product tank placed on the concentrator. <P>SOLUTION: The product tank for the temporary storage of a product gas is provided with a partition from outside, a gas inflow port and a gas outflow port. The tank is built up of a joint body of at least two split resin members and the gas inflow port and the gas outflow port are partially made up of the integrally molded work of the split resin members. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a product tank that temporarily stores product gas, and more particularly to a product tank of a medical oxygen concentrator that supplies oxygen-enriched air to a user such as a respiratory disease patient.

  For patients with chronic respiratory diseases such as emphysema, pulmonary tuberculosis sequelae and chronic bronchitis, oxygen inhalation therapy for inhaling high-concentration oxygen is performed as a treatment method. The oxygen inhalation therapy is a treatment method for inhaling oxygen gas or oxygen enriched gas to the diseased patient. Examples of the supply source of therapeutic oxygen gas or concentrated oxygen gas include the use of high-pressure oxygen cylinders, liquid oxygen cylinders, oxygen concentrators, etc., which can withstand long-term continuous use and are easy to use. For this reason, cases of using oxygen concentrators are increasing.

  The oxygen concentrator is an apparatus that can separate and concentrate oxygen in the air. As an apparatus for separating and concentrating oxygen, one or more adsorbent beds are packed with an adsorbent capable of selectively adsorbing nitrogen in the air from the viewpoint of obtaining a high concentration of 90% or more. Adsorption type oxygen concentrators are widely known. Among them, a pressure fluctuation adsorption type oxygen concentrator using a compressor as a pressure fluctuation apparatus is widely spread in the world.

Such an apparatus usually supplies compressed air from a compressor to one or a plurality of adsorbent beds filled with an adsorbent that selectively adsorbs nitrogen, adsorbs nitrogen by bringing the inside of the adsorbent bed into a pressurized state, This is an apparatus for obtaining high concentration oxygen by repeating an adsorption process for obtaining unadsorbed high concentration oxygen and a desorption step for desorbing nitrogen by depressurizing the inside of the adsorption bed. Oxygen, which is a product gas obtained from the adsorption bed, is stored in a product tank once and is supplied to a patient at a predetermined flow rate after being pressure-controlled in order to continuously and stably supply the product gas at a predetermined concentration.
JP 2005-87937 A

  In a conventional oxygen concentrator, an aluminum product tank is used as shown in FIG. Such aluminum product tanks are sealed with a structure in which each of the cylindrical member, upper surface, lower surface and oxygen inflow / outflow port are joined by aluminum welding, and the upper and lower surfaces and the cylindrical member are sealed with screws via an O-ring or the like. This is a structure. Such aluminum product tanks have many manufacturing problems such as difficulty in aluminum welding, the complexity of the seal structure, and the need for machining. In addition, the current high cost of aluminum bullion is inevitable. Considering the cost, the cylindrical shape is most advantageous as a product tank. However, since it occupies a predetermined volume in the housing, it becomes a disadvantageous shape for downsizing the entire apparatus. Resinous product tanks using blow molding have been eagerly studied to reduce the cost of product tanks, but they are still sufficient as product tanks for oxygen concentrators, such as pressure resistance and nozzle processing accuracy. There is nothing that satisfies the performance.

  In response to this problem, the present inventors have found that the following product tank is suitable for use in an oxygen concentrator. That is, the present invention is a tank having a partition wall, a gas inflow port, and a gas outflow port, and temporarily storing a product gas having a predetermined volume, and a joining member of a resin member in which the tank is divided into at least two A product tank characterized in that the gas inflow port and the gas outflow port are constituted by a part of an integrally molded product of the divided resin member, and in particular, an injection in which such a tank is divided The present invention provides a product tank, which is a joined member obtained by joining molded resin members by hot plate welding.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that the gas inflow port and the gas outflow port are nozzles integrally formed with a partition wall of the tank, and in particular, the tank is divided into the gas inflow port and the gas outflow port. The present invention provides a product tank characterized by having one resin member of a resin member.

  Further, the present invention is characterized in that such a tank is constituted by a joining member of a resin member divided into two constituting a partition wall with the outside and a gas flow path control plate for controlling a gas flow path in the partition wall. Product tank.

  The product tank of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is an external view showing an embodiment of the product tank of the present invention, which is an elliptical cylinder-shaped resin tank that is injection-molded using a thermoplastic resin material. In this embodiment, the product tank is manufactured using polypropylene resin. As shown in FIG. 4, such a product tank is composed of two upper and lower divided members constituting the outer shell, and both are welded by hot plate welding. As a bonding method, in addition to such hot plate welding, bonding can be performed by ultrasonic welding or adhesion. The upper surface is provided with an inflow nozzle and an outflow nozzle for product gas. The joint surface of the two divided members is provided with a flange to increase the joint strength. Further, the pressure resistance of about 600 kPa can be realized by setting the outer wall thickness to 2 mm, and the strength can be further increased by providing ribs inside the tank.

  In this way, by configuring the product tank by joining two divided members, the outer shell of the product tank and the gas inflow / outflow nozzle can be molded integrally, ensuring the mechanical strength and the nozzle Since joining is lost, gas leakage from the part can be prevented. In addition, the internal structure can be freely designed, and in addition to installing ribs for securing strength, it is possible to easily perform installation on the inner surface of the outer wall of the control plate for flow path control.

  FIG. 3 is an external view of another embodiment of the product tank of the present invention. This is a product tank made of resin resin made of polypropylene, and the outer shape of the container is an asymmetrical upper and lower atypical shape as shown in FIG.

  Such a product tank is a joined body that includes two upper and lower members constituting an outer shell as shown in FIG. 5, and each of an upper divided member and a lower divided member is joined by hot plate welding. The gas inflow nozzle and the outflow nozzle are not integrally formed with the outer shell, but a metal nozzle is separately installed at the position of the gas inflow port and the gas outflow port provided in the outer partition wall.

  FIG. 6 includes two upper and lower divided members constituting the outer shell and a gas flow path control plate having a gas vent on the joint surface between the upper divided member, the gas flow path control plate, and the lower divided member. It comprised by joining by hot plate welding. The gas inflow nozzle and the outflow nozzle are not integrally formed with the outer shell, but a metal nozzle is separately installed at the position of the gas inflow port and the gas outflow port provided in the outer partition wall. The gas inflow port and gas outflow port are provided on the opposite side of the upper and lower split members, and the gas vent on the gas flow path control plate is provided on the opposite side of the port position, so that the product gas can be transferred from the gas inflow port to the outflow port The product gas can be prevented from flowing for a long time in the tank.

  The product tank of the present invention is a tank that has a partition wall from outside, a gas inflow port, and a gas outflow port, and temporarily stores a product gas having a predetermined volume, and is a resin member divided into at least two parts. The gas inflow port and the gas outflow port are constituted by a part of an integrally molded product of the divided resin members.

  The product can be molded by dividing the product tank into at least two parts. When nozzles are installed at the gas inflow port and the outflow port, the outer structure of the product tank including the nozzle can be integrally formed. The outer shape can be freely molded as long as the mold can be designed according to the installation position, so the occupied volume for installing the product tank in the entire device can be minimized, and the entire device Downsizing can be realized. Further, not only the outer shape but also the shape in the product tank can be freely designed, and the ribs can be installed and the thickness can be designed in accordance with the required pressure resistance. By adopting the thermoplastic resin, joining by welding becomes possible, and by installing a flange, a joining surface can be secured and joining strength can be increased. According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a lightweight product tank that secures necessary pressure resistance performance at low cost by resin molding.

  The product tank of the present invention is used as a product tank of a pressure fluctuation adsorption oxygen concentrator for medical use. As shown in the schematic configuration diagram of FIG. 7, such an apparatus includes two adsorption cylinders filled with Li-X zeolite as an adsorbent that normally selectively adsorbs nitrogen, and one of the adsorption cylinders receives compressed air from the compressor. The adsorption bed is pressurized and nitrogen is adsorbed (adsorption process). Unadsorbed high-concentration oxygen is extracted from the product end of the adsorption cylinder and temporarily stored in the product tank. The nasal cannula is supplied to the patient via a setting device and a humidifier. The other adsorption cylinder depressurizes the inside of the adsorption bed, desorbs and exhausts nitrogen, and regenerates the adsorbent (desorption process). By repeating the adsorption process and the desorption process at a constant cycle, a high concentration of oxygen can be obtained continuously. Oxygen, which is a product gas obtained from the adsorption cylinder, is stored in a product tank once and is supplied to a patient at a predetermined flow rate after being pressure-regulated in order to continuously supply it stably at a predetermined concentration. By using the product tank, it is possible to freely design the shape of the product tank of the concentrator, so that the overall size of the apparatus can be reduced. Furthermore, the cost of components can be reduced by using resin.

The external appearance schematic diagram of the conventional product tank. The embodiment example (outside view) of the product tank of the present invention. The embodiment example (outside view) of the product tank of the present invention. The component block diagram of the product tank of this invention. The component block diagram of the product tank of this invention. The component block diagram of the product tank of this invention. The flow chart of a pressure fluctuation adsorption type oxygen concentrator.

Claims (5)

  A tank having a partition with the outside, a gas inflow port, and a gas outflow port, and temporarily storing product gas, the tank comprising a joined body of resin members divided into at least two parts, the gas inflow port and The product tank, wherein the gas outflow port is constituted by a part of an integrally molded product of the divided resin members.   2. The product tank according to claim 1, wherein the tank is a joined body obtained by joining divided injection molded resin members by hot plate welding.   2. The product tank according to claim 1, wherein the gas inflow port and the gas outflow port are nozzles integrally formed with a partition wall of the tank.   4. The product tank according to claim 3, wherein the gas inflow port and the gas outflow port are provided in one resin member of the resin member into which the tank is divided.   2. The tank according to claim 1, wherein the tank is constituted by a joining member of a resin member divided into two constituting a partition wall with the outside and a gas flow path control plate for controlling a gas flow path in the partition wall. Product tank as described.

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