JP2789638B2 - Breathing gas supply system - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A. Object of the Invention (1) Field of Industrial Application The present invention supplies respiratory gas to a mask worn by a crew or the like of an aircraft flying at a high altitude where air is sparse. The present invention relates to a respiratory gas supply system, and more particularly to a respiratory gas supply system capable of reusing oxygen contained in exhalation of a mask wearer by separating the oxygen into respiratory gas.

(2) Conventional technology In a conventional aircraft, the in-flight pressure is normally maintained at a value slightly higher than the outside air pressure. Therefore, when the aircraft flies at a high altitude where the air is lean, the in-flight pressure is reduced and the oxygen partial pressure is also reduced. In this case, there is a problem that the occupant becomes deficient in oxygen and the occupant's judgment becomes dull.

For this reason, an airplane flying at a high altitude is equipped with a respiratory gas supply system that supplies a respiratory gas to an oxygen supplement mask worn by a passenger. This respiratory gas supply system supplies oxygen from an oxygen supply source such as an oxygen cylinder or an oxygen concentrator and a respiratory gas such as air extracted from an engine to the mask, and a pressure of the supplied respiratory gas. Also decreases as the in-machine pressure decreases. Then, the oxygen partial pressure of the respiratory gas supplied to the mask is kept substantially constant by increasing the oxygen concentration together with the decrease in the pressure of the respiratory gas. In the conventional respiratory gas supply system, the respiratory gas supplied to the mask is configured to be discharged into the machine when the mask wearer once inhales and discharges the gas.

However, since the respiratory gas supplied to the mask has a high oxygen concentration, a large amount of oxygen still remains in the gas that the mask wearer inhales once and then exhales, that is, the exhaled breath. Therefore, if such exhaled air containing a large amount of oxygen is directly discharged into the cabin, the produced oxygen is wasted.

In order to eliminate the waste, the oxygen-exhaled breath is passed through a carbon dioxide removing device or the like to be regenerated as a gas having a high oxygen ratio, and the regenerated gas is mixed with oxygen from the oxygen supply source to form a gas on the mask. Circulating respiratory gas supply systems have been proposed.

(3) Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, the above-mentioned conventional respiratory gas supply system only removes carbon dioxide from exhaled breath, and nitrogen which occupies most of the exhaled breath is returned to the respiratory gas as it is. Therefore, it has been difficult to sufficiently increase the oxygen concentration in the breathing gas.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a breathing gas capable of increasing the oxygen concentration by separating only oxygen contained in the breath of a mask wearer and returning it to the breathing gas. It is an object to provide a supply system.

B. Configuration of the Invention (1) Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above objects, the present invention provides a gas supply path for supplying breathing gas extracted from an engine to a mask,
In a respiratory gas supply system including an oxygen supply source connected to the gas supply path to supply oxygen to the gas supply path and a gas discharge path to discharge gas discharged into the mask to the outside, A low-pressure oxygen exchange chamber is provided in the supply path, and a high-pressure oxygen exchange chamber is provided in the gas discharge path. The two oxygen exchange chambers are connected via an oxygen carrier that selectively couples with oxygen in the gas. The remaining oxygen in the exhaled breath is returned to the respiratory gas in the low-pressure oxygen exchange chamber by the oxygen carrier.

The connection between the low-pressure oxygen exchange chamber and the high-pressure oxygen exchange chamber is performed by a connection path provided with a pump for circulating the oxygen carrier, or two gases are provided between the low-pressure oxygen exchange chamber and the high-pressure oxygen exchange chamber. For example, the oxygen carrier may be sealed in a space formed by both gas permeable membranes with a permeable membrane interposed therebetween.

(2) Operation According to the present invention having the above-described configuration, the respiratory gas extracted from the engine to the gas supply path is supplied to the mask by receiving supply of oxygen from the oxygen supply source and is supplied to the mask. The exhaled air consumes oxygen and is discharged to the gas discharge passage. The exhaled gas in the gas discharge channel contacts the oxygen carrier in the high-pressure oxygen exchange chamber, and the oxygen remaining in the exhaled air is bound to the oxygen carrier. This oxygen is released again into the gas supply path in the low-pressure oxygen exchange chamber, supplied to the mask and reused.

When the low-pressure oxygen exchange chamber and the high-pressure oxygen exchange chamber communicate with each other via a connection path, an oxygen carrier combined with oxygen is transferred from the high-pressure oxygen exchange chamber to the low-pressure oxygen exchange chamber by a pump interposed in the connection path. While being transferred, the oxygen carrier that has released oxygen is transferred from the low-pressure oxygen exchange chamber to the high-pressure oxygen exchange chamber.

When the low-pressure oxygen exchange chamber and the high-pressure oxygen exchange chamber are connected via two gas permeable membranes, oxygen is directly carried by the oxygen carrier sealed between the gas permeable membranes. .

(3) Example Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

The breathing gas supply system S according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 1 includes a mask M worn by a pilot,
A gas supply path L ₁ which bleed breathing gas from the compressor of the engine in the mask M, the gas discharge passage L ₂ for discharging exhalation of operator outside the apparatus is connected.

The gas supply path L low-pressure oxygen exchange chamber 1 from the upstream of the engine side _1, a compressor 2 for pumping the breathing gas to the mask M, an oxygen cylinder to supply oxygen to the gas supply path L ₁ via a pressure regulating valve 3 or An oxygen supply source 4 such as an oxygen concentration device, and a check valve 5 that allows the respiratory gas to pass only to the mask M side.
Are arranged. Further, the gas discharge passage check valve 6 to the L ₂ pass only breath for ejecting the pilot from the mask M side, the high pressure oxygen exchange chamber 7, and the exhaust valve 8 is arranged.

Said low pressure oxygen exchange chamber 1 is a sealed container-like chamber, a number of small holes 9 is formed in the opening portion of the engine side of the gas supply path L ₁ that connects to the low pressure oxygen exchange chamber 1 At the same time, the opening on the mask M side is connected to the space above the low-pressure oxygen exchange chamber 1. Similarly, the high-pressure oxygen exchange chamber 7
With a number of small holes 10 are formed in the opening of the mask M side of the gas discharge passage L ₂ to be connected to an opening of the exhaust valve 8 side connects to the upper space of the high pressure oxygen exchange chamber 7 I have.

A liquid oxygen carrier is stored inside the low-pressure oxygen exchange chamber 1 and the high-pressure oxygen exchange chamber 7. The oxygen carrier is a substance having a function of binding oxygen to form a complex and releasing oxygen at other places, such as hemoglobin in blood. Specifically, N, N'-bis (3 -Methoxysalicylidene) tetramethylmethylenediaminecobalt (II) [Co (3-
MeOsaltmen)], N, N'-bis (salicylideneimino)
Di-n-propylaminocobalt (II) [Co (3-salp
r)], and substances such as mono (N-methylimidazole)-(dioxydiene) -meso-tetra (α, α, α, α-o-pivalamidophenyl) polyfinate iron (II) complex. .

The top of the bottom and the high pressure oxygen exchange chamber 7 of the low pressure oxygen exchange chamber 1 which stores the oxygen carrier described above, and the bottom and the low pressure upper part of the oxygen exchange chamber 1 of the high pressure oxygen exchange chamber 7 is communicated with a pair of connection paths L ₃ Te is a closed circuit is formed, the former connection path L ₃ pump 11 for circulating the oxygen carrier is mounted.

Further, the bottom portion of the upstream position and the high pressure oxygen exchange chamber 7 of the gas discharge passage L ₂ of the exhaust valve 8 is connected with the circulating path L _4, the high pressure oxygen exchange by blower 12 mounted in the circulation path L ₄ breath sucked from the gas discharge passage L ₂ chambers 7 downstream is adapted to circulate the oxygen-carrying body of the high pressure oxygen exchange chamber 7 through the small holes 13.

Next, the operation of the embodiment of the present invention having the above-described configuration will be described.

Bled breathing gas from the compressor of the engine are released into the oxygen-carrying body which is stored in the low pressure oxygen exchange chamber 1 from the small hole 9 of the gas supply path L _1, have incorporated therein stir the oxygen carrier Release oxygen. The released oxygen and the extracted breathing gas are compressed by the compressor 2 and supplied from the check valve 5 to the mask M. At this time, the compressor 2 and the check valve 5 in the gas supply path L ₁
Oxygen from the interposed oxygen supply 4 is mixed with the breathing gas to increase the oxygen concentration.

Breath operator is discharged through the check valve 6 from the mask M to the gas discharge passage L _2, it is released further from the small hole 10 oxygen carrying body which stores the high pressure oxygen exchange chamber 7. Since the high-pressure oxygen exchange chamber 7 is located downstream of the compressor 2 and is kept at a high pressure, oxygen remaining in the exhaled breath is combined with the oxygen carrier when passing through the oxygen carrier as bubbles. Oxygen carrier combined with oxygen through the communication path L ₃ compressor 2
From the high-pressure oxygen exchange chamber located downstream of
Is transferred to a low-pressure oxygen exchange chamber 1 which is maintained at a low pressure, and releases the bound oxygen to be released into respiratory gas. Thereby, the oxygen concentration of the respiratory gas supplied to the mask M is increased. On the other hand, the oxygen carrier in the low-pressure oxygen exchange chamber 1 from which oxygen has been released is connected to the connection path L _{3 by the} pump 11.
And transferred to the high-pressure oxygen exchange chamber 7. In this manner, by circulating the oxygen carrier between the connection path L ₃ low pressure oxygen exchange chamber 1 communicates with the high pressure oxygen exchange chamber 7,
The oxygen remaining in the exhaled breath can be returned to the breathing gas for reuse.

Although separated oxygen in a hyperbaric oxygen exchange chamber 7 exhalation is discharged outside from the exhaust valve 8 of the gas exhaust path L _2, since the still oxygen remaining in the exhaled breath, the circulation path the exhaled air L again returned to the high pressure oxygen exchange chamber 7 in the blower 12 provided in _4, to bind oxygen remaining in oxygen carrier. Thereby, the oxygen in the breath can be more efficiently reused.

FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the present invention. In this respiratory gas supply system S, a low-pressure oxygen exchange chamber 1 and a high-pressure oxygen exchange chamber 7 are integrally formed. 7 is separated by two gas permeable membranes 14 in which the same oxygen carrier is enclosed.

According to this embodiment, the breathing gas extracted from the engine passes through the low-pressure oxygen exchange chamber 1, the compressor 2, and the check valve 5, during which oxygen is supplied from the oxygen supply source 4 and supplied to the mask M, Expired air from the mask M is discharged out of the machine via the high-pressure oxygen exchange chamber 7 and the exhaust valve 8.
Then, the oxygen remaining in the exhaled air passes through one gas permeable membrane 14 in the high-pressure oxygen exchange chamber 7 and binds to the oxygen carrier, and this oxygen is released on the surface of the other oxygen permeable membrane 14 to form a low-pressure oxygen exchange membrane. Released into chamber 1. Thereby, the oxygen remaining in the exhaled breath is returned to the respiratory gas and reused.

As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various small design changes can be made without departing from the present invention described in the claims. It is possible to do.

For example, it may be attached to the gas discharge path L ₂ instead of mounting the compressor 2 to the gas supply path L _1. Further, in the second embodiment, instead of sealing the oxygen carrier between the two gas permeable membranes 14, the two oxygen exchange chambers 1 and 7 are each formed of a film-like oxygen carrier having an oxygen complex forming function (for example, polystyrene). (Octyl methacrylate Co-4-vinylpyridine) -cobalt (II)
(Salen complex), and oxygen can be selectively permeated from the high-pressure oxygen exchange chamber 7 side to the low-pressure oxygen exchange chamber 1 side by this membrane-like oxygen carrier.

C. Effects of the Invention According to the above-described respiratory gas supply system of the present invention, only the oxygen remaining in the exhaled breath is selectively separated and returned to the respiratory gas. Can be increased. Therefore, not only can the oxygen supply source be miniaturized to save the amount of oxygen to be replenished, but also the amount of bleed air from the engine can be reduced to reduce the load.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a respiratory gas supply system according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an overall configuration diagram of a respiratory gas supply system according to another embodiment of the present invention. 1 low-pressure oxygen exchange chamber, 4 oxygen supply source, 7 high-pressure oxygen exchange chamber, 11 pump, 14 gas-permeable membrane, L ₁ gas supply path, L ₂ gas discharge path , L ₃ …… connection path,
M ... mask

Continuation of front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁶ , DB name) A62B 7/14

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A gas supply path for supplying breathing gas extracted from an engine to a mask, an oxygen supply source connected to the gas supply path to supply oxygen to the gas supply path, and an oxygen supply source discharged into the mask. A respiratory gas supply system including a gas discharge path for discharging gas to the outside, wherein a low-pressure oxygen exchange chamber is provided in the gas supply path, and a high-pressure oxygen exchange chamber is provided in the gas discharge path. Connected through an oxygen carrier that selectively couples with oxygen in the air, and returning oxygen remaining in the exhaled breath in the high-pressure oxygen exchange chamber to the respiratory gas in the low-pressure oxygen exchange chamber by the oxygen carrier. A respiratory gas supply system.