JP4922813B2 - Gas supply tool for inhalation - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an inhalation device for inhaling inhalation gas. More specifically, oxygen-rich gas used for home oxygen therapy, low-concentration oxygen gas for fatigue recovery, and fragrance materials used for aromatherapy should be placed around the outer nose. In particular, the present invention relates to an inhalation gas supply device that supplies without damaging the skin and without damaging the appearance.

  Nasal cannula is generally used for inhalation gas inhalation in home oxygen therapy and aromatherapy. A nostril cannula is an inhalation gas supply tube (prongs) that can be inserted into the patient's nasal cavity by hanging the cannula branched in the middle on the left and right ears to guide the inhalation gas supplied from an oxygen concentrator or gas cylinder to the user's nostril. ) To supply the inhalation gas to the user's nostril by connecting the open end of the cannula to the nose branch.

The nostril cannula is a simple-shaped inhalation gas administration device that is easy to use and inexpensive and suitable for long-term oxygen therapy. On the other hand, the following disadvantages are included.
1. 1. Stimulation of cheeks and nostrils by contact with supply tools Deterioration of aesthetics with prongs

  As a form to solve the above disadvantages, in US Pat. No. 6,065,473 (Patent Document 1), an oxygen supply tube is fixed by a headset-type support, and an oxygen-enriched gas discharge nozzle is provided at the end of the oxygen-enriched gas supply tube. Means are disclosed for administering oxygen-enriched gas without the oxygen-enriched gas supply nozzle contacting the nostril. In this system, there is little irritation to the cheeks and nostrils because the supply device does not contact the face. However, in order to inhale oxygen, a support body in which oxygen supply nozzles are arranged near the nose and mouth is necessary, and the support body deteriorates aesthetics. Further, the oxygen-enriched gas discharged from the oxygen-enriched gas supply nozzle is a straight jet, and there is a risk of a decrease in the intake air oxygen concentration if the ejection direction deviates from the vicinity of the nose or mouth. It is difficult to adjust the direction of the oxygen-enriched gas supply nozzle away from the face.

  Further, in US Pat. No. 6,450,166 (Patent Document 2), an oxygen-enriched gas supply tube is fixed by a headset-type support, and similarly an oxygen-enriched gas discharge nozzle is provided at the end of the tube so Means for administering oxygen enriched gas in contact are disclosed. In this system, since the diffuser (diffusion nozzle) is provided in the oxygen-enriched gas discharge nozzle portion, the oxygen-enriched gas is diffused over a wide range. This makes it easy to adjust the installation position of the diffuser. However, in order to supply oxygen by diffusing, it is necessary to install a diffuser in the vicinity of the nostril, and there is a drawback that the diffuser is conspicuous when worn.

US60665473 US Pat. No. 6,450,166

  As described above, currently popular nostril cannula has a problem of irritation to cheeks and nostrils and deterioration of aesthetics. In the method of Patent Document 1, although irritation to cheeks and nostrils is alleviated, There is a problem that it is difficult to adjust the position of the nozzle. In the method of Patent Document 2, stimulation to the cheeks and nostrils and difficulty of nozzle adjustment are alleviated, but the aesthetics deteriorate. The present invention provides a gas supply tool for inhalation that solves this problem.

  As means for solving such a problem, the present inventor has found the following inhalation gas administration method. That is, according to the present invention, the nozzle for supplying the inhalation gas is installed on the outer peripheral surface of the face other than the nostril, and the angle formed by the nozzle and the outer peripheral surface of the face is an acute angle, so that the inhalation gas flow ejected from the nozzle An inhalation gas supply tool is provided in which an inhalation gas is supplied to the vicinity of the nostril by adhering to the outer peripheral surface of the face by the Coanda effect.

  By using the inhalation gas supply device of the present invention, the supply device does not come into contact with the face as in the conventional nostril cannula, so cheek and nostril stimulation is reduced. Further, since it is not necessary to install a nozzle near the nose / mouth, it is possible to perform inhalation gas inhalation without impairing the beauty. Moreover, due to the Coanda effect, the reach distance of the suction gas jet is longer than that of the free jet, and the nozzle can be installed at a position further away from the nose and mouth. Further, since the nozzle is fixed on the outer peripheral surface of the face portion, the position adjustment is easy.

Embodiment examples of the inhalation gas supply device of the present invention will be described below.
The inhalation gas supply device of the present invention is a device for supplying inhalation gas supplied from an inhalation gas supply source such as a gas cylinder through an inhalation gas supply tube to the user's nose or mouth. The inhalation gas supply tool includes a support member that is placed on the wearer's head and an inhalation gas supply nozzle that is fixed to the support member, and a suction gas supply tube is fixed to one end of the nozzle. The other end is located away from the wearer's nose and mouth, and the supply end that blows inhalation gas from the other end toward the nose and mouth on the outer peripheral surface of the wearer's face A part. The angle formed between the nozzle line direction of the supply tip and the face of the attachment part is an acute angle, and the supplied suction gas is discharged to the outer peripheral surface of the face other than the nose and mouth, and the released suction gas jet Flows in the state of adhering to the outer peripheral surface of the face due to the Coanda effect, and is transported to the periphery of the nose and mouth.

  As a gas supply source for suction, in addition to a gas cylinder, a membrane-type oxygen concentrator using an oxygen-enriched membrane that separates liquid oxygen and oxygen in the air and supplies an oxygen-enriched gas or zeolite was used as a nitrogen adsorbent. A pressure fluctuation adsorption type oxygen concentrator, an oxygen concentrator that electrochemically separates oxygen, and the like can be used.

  The Coanda effect refers to the tendency that a jet of gas or liquid tends to flow near the direction along the curved surface of the wall, even if the direction of the jet axis is away from the direction of the curved wall. The gas supply device uses this property and does not provide a prong or the like as a supply device up to the front of the face or the tip of the nostril. Or pour it to the mouth. Thereby, the beauty | look at the time of a nostril cannula wearing can be maintained.

  A support for supporting the inhalation gas inhalation device on the head of the wearer is provided. For example, in the case of supporting with an ear, it can be realized by using an ear hook type or an ear hole insertion type (earphone type) that hangs on the outer ear with a ring or the like. This can be realized by using a set-type support.

  A suction gas supply nozzle for supplying suction gas is fixed to the support. Such a nozzle includes a fixed portion of a suction gas supply tube at one end, and a supply end that blows the suction gas from the other end toward the nose and mouth on the outer peripheral surface of the wearer's face. . The above-mentioned Coanda effect can be realized by making the angle between the nozzle line direction of the suction gas supply tip of the suction gas supply nozzle and the surface of the mounting portion face portion an acute angle. By changing the form of the support, nozzles can be selectively installed on the forehead, jaw, cheeks, ears, etc. to achieve the Coanda effect, making it suitable for use situations (during daytime activities and nighttime sleep) Inhalation gas supply can be realized.

  Since the nozzle direction changes depending on the mounting method and the wearer, a rotating member that corrects the supply direction is provided, or a direction variable unit that adjusts the supply direction is provided, such as a flexible member.

  At the supply end of the suction gas supply nozzle, there is provided an angle switching means for changing the angle formed by the suction gas supply direction of the suction gas supply nozzle and the mounting portion face surface. The supply angle is adjusted to an acute angle according to the flow velocity of the supplied suction gas. The adjustment range is such that the angle formed between the suction gas supply direction of the suction gas supply nozzle and the face surface is greater than 15 degrees and less than 80 degrees. In order to supply the inhalation gas while realizing the Coanda effect with more certainty, the angle is in the range of 15 to 60 degrees, more preferably 15 to 45 degrees.

If the suction gas flow rate is increased, the suction gas diffuses without any Coanda effect. Therefore, the nozzle flow path of the suction gas supply nozzle has a maximum suction gas flow rate of 20 m / second or less, more preferably 5 m. It is preferable to provide a throttle valve that finely adjusts the flow rate.
It is preferable that the nozzle length of the suction gas supply nozzle has a telescopic mechanism that can be appropriately changed in consideration of the beauty and supply amount.

FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of an embodiment of the inhalation gas supply device of the present invention.
The suction gas supplied from the suction gas supply source passes through the suction gas supply tube and is supplied to the suction gas suction tool. The suction gas supply tube is connected to the suction gas supply tube fixing portion. In this example, an inhaler using a semi-ring-shaped pedestal mounted on the outer ear as a support is illustrated.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the supplied suction gas is ejected from the suction gas discharge section. The eruption site is the face surface that is not the nose or mouth, and in this example is located between the ear hole and the cheekbone. The discharged gas jet for inhalation flows toward the nostril. As shown in the present example, the gas supply tool for inhalation is located away from the nose and mouth, and the tube does not crawl the face surface.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 cut along a cross-section A, and shows a suction gas outlet. The angle formed by the nozzle direction of the suction gas outlet and the face surface as the collision part is an acute angle (FIG. 4).
As shown in FIG. 5, the nozzle includes an insertion portion that receives the tip of the suction gas supply tube.
As shown in FIG. 6, in order to adjust the ejection speed, the discharge unit may include an adjusting mechanism having a plurality of holes having different opening areas as the throttle means. A detailed view of the flow rate adjusting mechanism is shown in FIG.

  Further, since the distance to which the jet flow adheres differs depending on the ejection direction and the angle of the collision surface (face part), when a mechanism for adjusting the ejection angle is necessary, for example, as shown in FIG. An adjustment mechanism provided with

  As another embodiment, the suction gas supply tube fixing portion may be a method of gripping the suction gas supply tube as shown in FIG. 9, in which case the suction gas discharge port is connected to the tip of the suction gas supply tube. However, the position of the suction gas discharge outlet can be adjusted by changing the gripping position of the suction gas supply tube. The tube tip, which is the suction gas discharge port, is set to an acute angle.

  FIG. 10 shows an embodiment having two suction gas discharge ports as another embodiment of the suction gas supply device of the present invention. In this embodiment, the suction gas jet can collide with the front of the nose and mouth, and the concentration of the suction gas around the nose can be increased.

  Using the inhalation gas supply tool shown in FIG. 2, a test for confirming whether or not inhalation gas can actually be inhaled was conducted using a simulated model of the head and an artificial lung. An oxygen-enriched gas was used as the inhalation gas. An outline of the test method is shown in FIG. The respiration frequency was set to 20 breaths / min, and the tidal volume was set to 500 ml. The influence of the ejection angle (θ) on the oxygen concentration at the end of the artificial lung was examined.

  As shown in FIG. 12, when the angle formed between the oxygen ejection direction and the face surface is 0 degree (the jet and cheek are in a parallel relationship), the end of the artificial lung can be obtained even if the oxygen-enriched gas supply flow rate is changed. The oxygen concentration is 21 [% O2], which is the same as the oxygen concentration in the environment, and it can be seen that the oxygen-enriched gas is not supplied to the end of the oxygenator. On the other hand, when the angle formed between the ejection direction and the face surface is 30 degrees, the oxygen concentration at the end of the artificial lung is increased and oxygen-enriched gas can be inhaled.

The schematic diagram (horizontal) of the gas supply system for suction | inhalation using the gas supply tool for suction | inhalation of this invention. The schematic diagram (diagonal) of the gas supply system for suction | inhalation using the gas supply tool for suction | inhalation of this invention. Sectional drawing cut | disconnected in the cross section A. FIG. The figure which shows a nozzle direction. Inhalation gas supply tube fixing part (plug-in type). Ejection speed adjustment mechanism. Ejection speed adjustment mechanism (details). Ejection angle adjustment mechanism. The embodiment example of the gas supply tool for suction | inhalation of the gas supply tube fixing | fixed part (grip type) for suction | inhalation. An embodiment example of an inhalation gas supply tool having two spouts. Schematic diagram of breathing simulation experiment. Results of breathing simulation experiment.

Claims (9)

  A supply tool for supplying an inhalation gas to a user from an inhalation gas supply source through a tube, and a support body to be put on the wearer's head, and an inhalation gas supply tube at one end of the support body The fixed part and the other end are positioned away from the wearer's nose and mouth, and the inhalation gas blows inhalation gas from the other end toward the nose and mouth on the outer peripheral surface of the wearer's face Inhalation gas supply comprising a gas supply nozzle, and an angle formed between a nozzle line direction of a suction gas supply tip of the suction gas supply nozzle and a surface of the attachment portion is an acute angle Tools.   2. An angle switching means for changing an angle formed between a suction gas supply direction of the suction gas supply nozzle and a surface of the mounting portion face at a supply end of the suction gas supply nozzle. The inhalation gas supply tool according to 1.   2. An inhalation gas supply tool according to claim 1, wherein an angle formed between an inhalation gas supply direction of the inhalation gas supply nozzle and a face surface is greater than 15 degrees and less than 80 degrees.   The suction pipe according to claim 1, further comprising a throttle valve for adjusting a flow rate, wherein a nozzle pipe diameter of the suction gas supply nozzle is a diameter at which a maximum flow speed of the suction gas is 20 m / second or less. Gas supply tool.   The inhalation gas supply tool according to claim 1, further comprising an expansion / contraction mechanism capable of changing a nozzle length of the inhalation gas supply nozzle.   The inhalation gas supply tool according to claim 1, further comprising a direction variable portion for adjusting a supply direction of the inhalation gas supply nozzle.   The suction gas supply nozzle comprises a plurality of suction gas supply nozzles, and the supply direction of the suction gas at each supply end of the suction gas supply nozzle is adjusted to the direction of the nose and mouth of the wearer The inhalation gas supply device according to claim 1, wherein the inhalation gas supply device is fixed to the support so as to be possible.   The support is a pedestal to be placed on the user's outer ear, and the supply end of the inhalation gas supply nozzle fixed to the pedestal is on the skin below the wearer's cheekbone or near the tragus. The inhalation gas supply tool according to claim 1, which has a nozzle length.   The inhalation gas supply tool according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the inhalation gas is an oxygen gas for oxygen therapy.