JP4612217B2 - Oxygen concentrator - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an oxygen concentrator that separates and humidifies oxygen in the air and supplies it to a user. More specifically, the present invention relates to an oxygen concentrator that allows a user to detach a humidifier that humidifies concentrated oxygen in a dry state, and does not require a special fixture even when the pressure in the humidifier rises. The present invention relates to a device that reduces the work load.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, oxygen inhalation therapy for inhaling oxygen generated from an oxygen cylinder or a pressure fluctuation adsorption type oxygen concentrator has been performed for patients with chronic respiratory diseases such as pulmonary tuberculosis sequelae and pulmonary hypertension. Such oxygen or oxygen-enriched air is almost completely dry, and if inhaled as it is for a long time, depending on the usage environment, the nasal cavity may dry out, causing discomfort to the patient and worsening the disease itself. There is also a possibility of connection. Therefore, the patient usually inhales oxygen gas humidified to near the saturated water vapor pressure using a humidifier.
[0003]
As such a humidifier, a bubbling humidifier in which dried oxygen gas is submerged in the water in the humidifier, and an evaporative humidifier that humidifies only with evaporated water vapor from the water surface of the humidifier are generally used. Since such a humidifier is filled with water, it needs to be replaced and replenished every few days or weeks, depending on the conditions of use. The attachment / detachment operation is required to remove the humidifier from the device, clean the inside, replenish water, and then attach it again.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The humidifying means used in the conventional oxygen concentrator includes a lid portion having a dry gas inlet and a humidified gas outlet, a receiver portion for containing humidifying water, and a sealing member thereof, and further, an oxygen concentrator and a humidifier. It is comprised from the fixing means for maintaining this junction part state.
[0005]
It is necessary to maintain the flow rate of the supplied oxygen gas inside the container of the humidifying means, and sealing performance is required. Also, when the internal pressure rises due to the flow resistance, it is necessary to prevent the humidifier from dropping from the oxygen concentrator. Fixed to the guide portion as described in JP-A-6-234002 and JP-A-7-165402 using a coupler or as described in JP-A-5-154200 The one with the means is used.
[0006]
In these devices, in order to maintain the state using the fixing means, insertion and fixing force to the position where the fixing means works effectively are necessary, and particularly the patient whose strength has declined such as elderly people. For this, it is difficult to operate or release the fixing means effectively at the same time as the insertion, and the oxygen leakage occurs at the humidifier joint of the oxygen concentrator due to incomplete mounting. There is.
[0007]
The present invention solves this problem and does not require any special means for maintaining a fixed state, and the inlet and outlet of the humidifier are provided on the inlet and outlet pipes attached to the oxygen concentrator. The present invention provides an oxygen concentrator equipped with a humidifier that enables a stable state to be maintained only by insertion.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
As a result of diligent research on this problem, it was found that the blowing direction of the oxygen-enriched gas from the following oxygen concentrating means side coincided with the mounting direction in the conventional humidifier, and the blowing direction and the mounting direction of the humidifier were changed. We found a joining method to make them orthogonal.
[0009]
That is, the present invention comprises an oxygen concentrating means for separating oxygen from the air, a detachable humidifying means for humidifying the oxygen concentrated gas separated by the oxygen concentrating means, and an oxygen supply for supplying the humidified oxygen concentrated gas to the user In the oxygen concentrating apparatus provided with the means, the gas connecting portion in the humidifying means comprises an oxygen concentrated gas outlet pipe from the oxygen concentrating means, a humidified oxygen concentrated gas introducing pipe, and a humidifier side receiving section fitted to them. An oxygen concentrating apparatus is characterized in that the oxygen concentrated gas blowing direction at the gas outlet of the outlet pipe is orthogonal to the direction in which the humidifying means is attached to the outlet pipe.
[0010]
Further, the present invention is an oxygen concentrator characterized by having a groove in the outer peripheral portion of the gas outlet of the outlet pipe and the inlet pipe, and in particular, the sealing means between the outlet pipe and the inlet pipe and the humidifying means, The present invention provides an oxygen concentrator provided at two positions above and below the gas outlet of the outlet pipe and the inlet pipe.
[0011]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The oxygen concentrator of the present invention is a device for separating oxygen from the air by means of oxygen concentrating means, humidifying with a humidifier, and then supplying humidified oxygen to the user, and derivation of the oxygen concentrated gas dried to the concentrator side A pipe and a humidified gas introducing pipe are provided, and a receiving portion corresponding to each conduit is provided on the humidifier side.
[0012]
At least the lead-out pipe of the introduction pipe and the lead-out pipe as the joining means has a gas outlet that is orthogonal to the direction in which the humidifying means is attached. As the shapes of the introduction pipe and the lead-out pipe, it is conceivable that the insertion direction of the humidifier and the blowing direction of the lead-in pipe and the lead-out pipe are slightly displaced with respect to the axial direction in order to eliminate the need for special fixing means. In order to maintain a stable fixed state, the orthogonal method of the present application is appropriate. The introduction pipe and the lead-out pipe may be independent nozzles or a single combined nozzle.
[0013]
In addition, it includes a gas outlet and has a flow groove for oxygen gas in the circumferential direction of the introduction pipe and the discharge pipe. It is possible to compensate for the generation of flow resistance and the correction of the blowing direction. Accordingly, it is possible to provide a similar structure on the humidifier side in addition to providing a flow channel on the conduit side.
[0014]
Sealing means that are continuous over the entire circumference of the inlet and outlet pipes are provided at two locations above and below the opening and the channel groove. At least the leading end side of the introduction pipe and the lead-out pipe has a seal structure having a lip portion that rises thinly with respect to the lead-in pipe and the lead-out pipe. What is characterized by having an inclined shape is preferable.
[0015]
For such a seal portion, it is conceivable that the upper and lower portions of the opening have packing with a lip, or both of them may be O-rings. However, the mounting work when the humidifier is inserted into the inlet tube and outlet tube is considered. The combination of the present application is appropriate because of its ease. The material used for such a sealing means is preferably a rubber material that has excellent impact resilience and hardly generates compression set, and specific materials are preferably silicon rubber, natural rubber, butadiene rubber, and the like.
[0016]
The inlet and outlet of the humidifier lid, which is the conduit receiving part of the humidifier, preferably have a through-hole, thereby confirming the appropriateness of the insertion positions of the inlet and outlet pipes of the concentrator. It is valid.
[0017]
The humidifier of the present invention is preferably used for medical purposes, and can be used particularly when humidifying oxygen gas of a medical oxygen concentrator used for oxygen inhalation therapy.
[0018]
【Example】
An oxygen concentrator and a humidifier according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings.
[0019]
The preferred oxygen concentrator inlet tube, outlet tube portion and humidifier of the present invention have the configuration shown in FIGS. Such an introduction pipe outlet pipe and a humidifier are humidifiers that can be attached to the pressure fluctuation adsorption type oxygen concentrator, and FIG. 1 is a view of the humidifier portion as viewed from above. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the humidifier section taken along the two-dot chain line portion of FIG. FIG. 3 is a front view of the humidifier part.
[0020]
The gas to be humidified flows from the introducing means 1, passes through the upper surface of the humidifying water 8 filled in the receiving means 5, humidifies with the evaporated water, and then flows out from the deriving means 2. The introducing means 1, the derivation means 2 and the receiving means 5 are completely sealed by the sealing means 6 and the sealing means 7 provided therebetween, and the receiving means 5 and the receiving means 5 and the lid If the means 3 is completely sealed by the sealing means 4 provided between them, there is no gas leakage from the gap between them, and the means 3 can be used.
[0021]
The introduction means 1 and the lead-out means 2 are made of metal and have a cylindrical shape with an outer diameter of 10 mm and an inner diameter of 3 mm. The internal gas flow part is refracted in a direction perpendicular to the cylinder axis at the open part. ing. By using the introduction pipe 1 and the outlet pipe 2, the displacement direction of the humidifier that occurs when the pressure in the humidifying means rises after the humidifying means is attached can be made orthogonal. The conventional introduction pipe 1 and lead-out pipe 2 are through holes that are parallel to the cylindrical axis and require special fixing means for maintaining the mounted state in order to maintain the fixed state when the internal pressure increases. By using the introduction pipe, the lead-out pipe, and the lid means 3 of the present invention, a stable position can be maintained without using any special fixing means even when the internal pressure rises to 0.01 Mpa, for example. It was.
[0022]
Furthermore, by including a groove including an opening at right angles to the axis of the introduction pipe 1 and the lead-out pipe 2, there is no restriction on the mounting direction of the lead-in pipe 1 and the lead-out pipe 2, and no alignment is required during assembly. It was possible to fix 360 degrees in any direction.
[0023]
【The invention's effect】
The combination of the oxygen concentrator and the humidifier according to the present invention eliminates the operation of operating and releasing the special mechanism for maintaining the fixed state in the operation of attaching the humidifier to the oxygen concentrator. It is possible to endure easily that it is installed in. As a result, the connection state can be easily stabilized without the fine freedom of the fingertip, and the abnormal state of the attachment can be easily confirmed, and leakage due to the abnormal attachment at the junction of the oxygen concentrator and the humidifier can be confirmed. Can be suppressed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a top view of a humidifier used in the oxygen concentrator of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a humidifier used in the oxygen concentrator of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a front view of a humidifier that is a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1. 1. Dry gas introduction pipe 2. Humidified gas outlet tube 3. Lid means Sealing means (receiver and lid)
5. Receiving means 6. 6. Sealing means Sealing means (O-ring)
8). Humidification water

Claims (3)

Oxygen provided with oxygen concentrating means for separating oxygen from air, detachable humidifying means for humidifying the oxygen concentrated gas separated by the oxygen concentrating means, and oxygen supplying means for supplying the humidified oxygen concentrated gas to the user In the concentrator,
The gas connecting part with the oxygen concentrating device in the humidifying means is composed of an outlet pipe for the oxygen-enriched gas from the oxygen concentrating means, an inlet pipe for the humidified oxygen-enriched gas, and a humidifier-side receiving section fitted to them. And the inlet pipe is provided with sealing means for sealing with the humidifier side receiving portion , and the oxygen-enriched gas blowing direction of the gas outlet of the outlet pipe is orthogonal to the mounting direction of the humidifying means on the outlet pipe Thus, the outlet pipe and the inlet pipe and the humidifier can be provided only by inserting and fitting the outlet pipe and the inlet pipe into the humidifier side receiving portion without using other fixing means. An oxygen concentrator having a function of fixing the means .   2. The oxygen concentrator according to claim 1, further comprising a groove in the outer peripheral portion of the gas outlet of the outlet pipe and the inlet pipe.   The oxygen concentrator according to claim 1 or 2, wherein sealing means for the outlet pipe and the inlet pipe and the humidifying means are provided at two positions above and below the gas outlet of the outlet pipe and the inlet pipe.

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