JP5657331B2 - Ventilator control valve - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a ventilator flow control and flow control valve.

  Ventilators are used not only when used at a certain place (for example, when used in a clinic or home) but also when used at a destination (for example, an emergency team). What is very important here is that the ventilator operates reliably and without failure. In order to avoid disturbing the surroundings when such a ventilator is operating, the operating ventilator must be as quiet as possible. It is also essential to be able to accurately adjust exhalation to a small and appropriate amount, especially with regard to breathing of children and premature babies. In addition, during invasive ventilation with a tube placed hermetically in the trachea, a short pause is performed to better deliver oxygen to the lungs after the inspiratory pressure reaches a certain reference. During this brief pause, it is important to prevent the leaky flow exiting the ventilator. Therefore, the ventilator air source needs to be sealed to the patient. However, it is relatively difficult to seal the ventilator air source to the patient. This is because, in order to operate smoothly and avoid hysteresis, it must be performed with as little force as possible. In this regard, not only hysteresis causes problems, but also the speed with which the valves are adjusted. This is because the harder the valve and the higher the clamping pressure, the more slowly it responds by inertia and friction.

  From US 6,615,831, a ventilator with a 3/2 way valve is known. The 3 / 2-way valve has a control valve that can be moved in the axial direction by a magnetic coil. In its final position, the control valve opens a through-hole for intake coming from the pressure generator, or closes the through-hole and simultaneously opens another through-hole, whereby the pressure generator It is possible to minimize air consumption. However, this valve is very position dependent and is not sealed even in the closed state due to the radial clearance required for the control valve to move axially.

  EP 1 177 810 B1 describes a valve, which has a rotating valve body that can rotate about its longitudinal axis. The valve has at least one longitudinal slit at its periphery, which can be aligned with a corresponding opening in the area of the housing surrounding the pivoting valve body. Further, a control cam is installed on the front surface of the side where the rotary valve body is not fixed. With this control cam, it is also possible to expose only part of the opening. This valve also has the disadvantage that it is never completely sealed when closed. In order to ensure the mobility of the valve, it is necessary to fit a rotating valve body having a predetermined radial clearance in the area of the housing. Since some breathing air leaks through the annular gap formed at this time, the desired dose is adversely affected.

  From GB 288 403, a valve or slip valve for gas or another liquid is known. This valve has a housing having a conical seat portion and a conical valve body that can be operated by rotating from outside. When the valve body is rotated, the through hole in the conical seat of the housing is aligned with the opening of the valve body, allowing the medium to flow through the valve. However, a relatively high frictional resistance occurs depending on the structure. High frictional resistance hinders operation and hinders control of valve mobility. Furthermore, even with this valve, it is impossible to ensure complete sealing.

US Pat. No. 6,615,831 European Patent No. 1177810 British Patent No. 288403

  Therefore, the problem of the present invention is that it functions safely, has a low flow resistance, is highly mobile, responds quickly to the patient's respiratory reflex, can deliver the right amount of accurate flow, and is closed. An object of the present invention is to provide an artificial respirator or a ventilator valve capable of realizing a high degree of sealing of the valve in a state.

  The valve for flow rate control and flow rate adjustment of the ventilator according to the present invention includes a housing, and a rotary valve disposed in the housing so as to be rotatable around the longitudinal axis of the housing. By rotating the valve, the at least one through hole can be completely or partially closed. The pivot valve also has a conical sealing surface, which interacts with a correspondingly configured support surface of the housing. The through hole is arranged in the region of the sealing surface, and the rotary valve is proportionally driven by an actuator, preferably a stepping motor.

  According to the present invention, the rotating valve side of the through hole is surrounded by a seal edge, and the rotating valve is connected to an actuator so as to be movable in the axial direction of the rotating valve. To solve by. The height of the edge of the seal edge is gradually increased in the valve closing direction. Here, when the valve is closed, a planar seal is formed. When the valve is opened, the pivot valve rises from the seal edge, and again a seal gap is formed. By gradually increasing the sealing edge on the conical valve housing, the pivoting valve is pressed more and more tightly as it is pivoted in the closing direction, so that the valve is more tightly sealed. Due to the axial movability of the rotary valve, the rotary valve can be avoided in the axial direction against the gradually increasing seal edge during rotation. This can minimize the response time to the respiratory response and the resulting friction, and can greatly improve the movability of the valve. In addition, since this is possible, in some cases, the through hole can be made small, and the flow rate can be accurately controlled by the valve.

  In particular, in one form of the present invention characterized in that attachment and removal for disinfection is easy, for example, the actuator has a drive shaft, and the rotary valve and the drive shaft are related to each other. It is comprised so that it can fit in an edge part. The removable plug connector makes installation very easy. This is because it is only necessary to fit the portions that are connected to each other, and it can be separated again very easily and without using a tool.

  In one effective form of coupling of the rotary valve and the drive shaft which is movable in the axial direction, one end comprises at least one slit and the other end can be inserted into the slit. There is provided at least one slide element that transmits a motion of rotating around the vertical axis of the valve. Here, in a state where the two end portions are fitted, the free end of the slide element inserted into the slit and the bottom surface of the slit are separated in a state where the through hole is opened, and the slide element is It is arranged in the slit so as to be movable in the axial direction. In this way, a sliding fit of the connection can be realized, so that the axial movement of the rotary valve is not hindered or adversely affected by this connection.

  In an effective embodiment of the present invention that is excellent in simplicity of construction and good mounting characteristics, the slide element is configured as a thin plate. It is effective that the thin plate can be inserted into an end that can be fitted to the end provided with the slit, and the thin plate can be held in this end.

  In another advantageous embodiment of the invention, the pivoting valve is supported on the housing in the axial direction by a center point support, preferably by a sphere located in the longitudinal central axis. Since the point support between the rotary valve and the housing causes little friction loss, high movability of the valve can be realized with a small operating force and driving moment.

  Further, the housing has a lateral suction pipe for inflowing breathing air, and a breathing air discharge pipe connected in the axial direction to the rotary valve. Here, the sealing surface is disposed between the suction pipe and the discharge pipe. In this embodiment of the present invention, when the valve is closed, the rotary valve is pressed against the sealing surface by the surplus pressure of inspiration and expiration. For this reason, leakage losses are virtually avoided. Deterioration of the pivot valve and the corresponding support surface due to wear is automatically compensated.

  The cone of the sealing surface is conveniently configured in a tapered shape facing the flow direction. Due to the tapered shape, when inspiration or expiration is blown onto the cone, the airflow in the valve is evenly distributed and the resulting flow resistance is relatively small.

  It is advantageous for the cone angle of the sealing surface (the angle between the central axis of the cone and the generatrix) to be between 30 ° and 60 °, preferably about 45 °. This angular range allows a relatively short and small valve to be constructed. The angular range described here also produces advantageous flow conditions and greatly avoids turbulence.

Through hole, as the flow passage cross section of when rotating in the direction of closing the Kaidoben is reduced progressively, and / or is effective in which a plurality of through-holes is configured to be provided is there. By the end of the closing process, there are only a few cross-sections of the flow path, so that the impact pressure that occurs in the system when the valve is fully closed is largely avoided. When there are a plurality of holes, the sizes of the holes may be different, and the sizes of these holes become smaller as the closing process approaches. The same effect can be obtained by arranging a plurality of holes side by side in the radial direction and reducing the number of holes arranged side by side in the radial direction as the closing process approaches.

  The through hole is conveniently configured in a wedge shape and a taper shape in the direction of closing the rotary valve. By being wedge-shaped, the remaining channel cross-section when closing the valve can act to shrink or expand earlier or more slowly. It is effective that the edge of the wedge-shaped through hole is configured to be curved.

  In order to improve the mobility of the valve and to seal the valve well in the closed state, the conical radius of the interacting housing and / or the sealing surface of the pivoting valve extends over a part of the circumference. It is effective that the distance is constantly increased in the direction opposite to the direction of closing the cover. That is, the sealing surface of the adjacent rotary valve and the sealing surface of the housing are not exact conical surfaces, but in this particular form are slightly different from the conical surfaces. When the valve is closed, the sealing surfaces are supported in a planar manner, forming a very high degree of sealing. When the valve is opened, a seal gap is formed. This seal gap further enlarges the cross-section of the flow path and allows a larger flow rate to pass through the valve.

  It is effective that the rotary valve can be rotated against the restoring force of at least one torsion spring so that the rotary valve automatically returns to the initial position. Therefore, the state where the power of the rotary actuator is turned off is the defined initial position. Thus, in the event of a power failure, the valve is advantageously automatically in the fully open position or transitions to the open position so that the patient's spontaneous breathing is not disturbed.

  The valve according to the present invention is an automatic ventilator for artificially breathing a patient or assisting a patient's breathing. At least one control valve capable of proportionally controlling an air inlet, an air supply source, and the like. And a sensor for measuring a pressure for driving the control valve, and a sensor for measuring a flow rate for driving the control valve.

  It is effective that the air supply source of this type of ventilator is configured as a blower that rotates at a constant rotational speed over the entire respiratory cycle. Such a blower is excellent in that it is extremely quiet during operation and has a low noise level. Here, the regulation of respiration is performed by driving a valve.

  Further embodiments of the invention are shown in the drawings and described in the dependent claims. The reference number table, like the claims, constitutes part of the present disclosure.

  The drawings are shown generically in association with each other. The same reference number means the same member, and the same reference number with a different symbol indicates the functionally same or similar member.

It is a figure showing roughly artificial respiration concerning the present invention. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a valve according to the present invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a valve according to the present invention having an axially movable connection between a rotary valve and an actuator. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the housing of the valve shown in FIG. 2 cut along the cutting line AA, with the rotary valve removed. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the valve shown in FIG. 3 cut along a cutting line BB. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the valve according to FIG. 5 in a closed state.

  The invention will be described schematically and typically in more detail with reference to the drawings.

  The artificial respirator with a protective covering 10 schematically shown in FIG. 1 has an air inlet 1 and an air supply 2. The air supply source 2 is conveniently configured as a blower or a compressor. However, an internal or external accumulator or an external compressed air supply may be used as the air supply source 2. An adjustable intake control valve 3a, an inspiratory flow sensor 4a, and an inspiratory pressure sensor 5a are installed in the upper line used for patient inhalation. At the end of this line, the intake pipe 6 is led to the patient. On the return path, the exhalation tube 7 is led from the patient into the cover 10. An exhalation pressure sensor 5b, an exhalation flow sensor 4b, and an adjustable exhalation control valve 3b are also installed in the lower line for controlling exhalation. The measured values of the flow sensors 4a, 4b and the pressure sensors 5a, 5b are always supplied to the control unit 8, and these measured values adjust the control valves 3a, 3b for the patient's inspiration or expiration. To be used. Finally, the exhaled breath reaches the outside through the air outlet 9.

  The ventilator may be directly connected to an external distribution network, or may be operated by an internal or external battery.

  The embodiment of the control valve according to the present invention, which is clearly shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, is composed of a housing 11 having a rotating valve 12, and the rotating valve 12 is rotatably mounted on the housing. . The housing 11 includes a suction pipe 11a lateral to the shaft and a discharge pipe 11b connected to the rotary valve 12 in the axial direction. A partition wall 11c exists between the suction pipe 11a and the discharge pipe 11b. The partition wall 11c is formed in a conical shape, and the cone angle (the angle formed between the central axis of the cone and the generatrix) is about 45 °. The partition wall 11c is provided with a through hole 11d configured in a wedge shape. The rotary valve 12 includes a tubular shaft 12a and a funnel-shaped portion 12b connected to the shaft. The inside of the funnel-shaped portion 12 b forms a seal surface 12 c together with the support surface 11 e on the partition wall 11 c of the housing 11. When the valve shown in FIG. 6 is closed, the sealing surface 12c closes the through hole 11d.

  As is apparent from FIG. 3, the rotary valve 12 is supported in the center of the housing 11 with low friction in the axial direction via, for example, a convex fulcrum or a sphere 13. By using a sphere, centering point support is generated in both the members 11 and 12 in the region of the longitudinal central axis, and friction can be suppressed very slightly.

  The torsion spring 14 surrounding the shaft 12a of the rotary valve 12 holds the rotary valve 12 at a specified initial position (for example, “open” or “closed”) when no power is supplied to the valve. Used as Furthermore, the torsion spring 14 supports holding the rotary valve 12 in a sealed state by pressing the funnel-shaped portion 12b against the partition wall 11c in the axial direction. The cover 15 is connected to the housing 11 on the side surface that is not on the discharge pipe 11b side. In order to seal the cover 15, a sealing ring 16, preferably configured as an O-ring, is used.

  A stepping motor 17 used as an actuator is fixed to the cover 15. The stepping motor 17 is for driving the rotary valve 12 to rotate by the drive shaft 17a. When closing the valve, excess pressure is created behind the valve. This excess pressure presses the funnel-shaped portion 12 b or the seal surface 12 c of the rotary valve 12 against the support surface 11 e of the housing 11 in the axial direction. As a result, no leakage loss actually occurs. For this reason, it is possible to operate, for example, an air supply configured as a blower at a constant rotational speed over one complete breathing cycle. The complete breathing cycle is a cycle composed of suction and discharge. Therefore, all the operations of this breathing cycle can be realized with only the control valve.

  As clearly shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the through-hole 11d is formed in a wedge shape and has a curved edge. For this reason, certain characteristics of the valve can be realized, for example progressively closing or opening. In particular, this makes it possible to eliminate or avoid pressure peaks.

  In order to close the valve, the rotary valve 12 is rotated to the closed position shown in FIG. 6 by the force of the torsion spring 14. Depending on the amount of air required, the through hole 11d may be opened only partially by reducing the rotation angle of the rotation valve 12.

  The through hole 11d is surrounded by a circular seal edge 11f. Conveniently, the height of the edge of the seal edge 11f is gradually increased toward the closing direction of the rotary valve 12. As a result, a butt slope for the rotary valve 12 is formed. For this reason, particularly good sealing is obtained in a state in which the valve is closed. When the valve is opened, the rotary valve 12 rises from the seal edge 11f, so that a further seal gap is opened and the processing capacity of the valve increases.

  Instead of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 with only one wedge-shaped through-hole 11d on both sides, this through-hole may be configured as a number of separate holes. In this case, the through hole can be surrounded on one side surface by a seal edge that is a ring. In this case, the large number of holes are arranged so that the cross-section of the flow path gradually decreases as it proceeds in the closing direction.

  In the present invention, the rotary valve 12 is connected to the actuator so as to be removable and movable in the axial direction of the rotary valve 12. The rotary valve 12 and the drive shaft 17a are related to each other. The mating ends 12d and 17b may be configured to be fitable. Here, the stepping motor 17 is fixedly arranged in the axial direction.

  For example, the drive shaft 17a has a slit 18, and the rotary valve 12 has a slide element that can be inserted into the slit. The slide element is conveniently configured as a thin plate 19. This thin plate can be inserted into the end 12d of the shaft 12a of the rotary valve 12, and is held in the end. That is, the thin plate 19 may be inserted through a slit provided on the side surface of the shaft 12a, for example. In order to fix the thin plate 19, the thin plate 19 may have elastic protrusions on the surfaces to be back to back. This protrusion overlaps with the edge of the slit provided on the side surface of the shaft 12a.

  Of course, the slide element may be formed as one member together with the shaft 12 a of the rotary valve 12. The slide element and the slit 18 together form a sliding fit for the rotary valve 12 on the drive shaft 17a. In the state where the through hole 11d is opened, the free end of the thin plate 19 and the bottom surface 18a of the slit 18 are separated from each other. Therefore, when the through hole 11d is closed, the rotary valve 12 can move in the axial direction. . The direction in which the rotary valve 12 moves in the axial direction when the through hole 11d is closed is indicated by an arrow in FIG. 3, which corresponds to the movement in the direction of the vertical axis of the rotary valve 12. To do.

According to the present invention, at least three effective effects are brought about by the configuration of the connection between the rotary valve 12 and the stepping motor 17.
1. The rotational motion is transmitted from the stepping motor 17 to the rotational valve 12 without backlash.
2. Since the sealing edge 11f is gradually higher, the rotary valve 12 can move axially with respect to the force of the spring 14, so that the valve is completely closed even when the valve is slightly open. In any case, optimal sealing is provided even when the pressure or spring load on the closure membrane is highest.
3. Since it is only necessary to fit the left part and the right part of the connection, the attachment is extremely easy.

  It is effective that the housing 11 and the rotary valve 12 are made of plastic. The specific gravity of the plastic is relatively small, and therefore the movable part, in particular, the weight of the rotary valve 12 is also small. This on the other hand allows a high mobility of the movable part. A further advantage of plastics is that they are durable and can be sterilized very well.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Air inlet, 2 Air supply source, 3a Inspiration control valve, 3b Exhalation control valve, 4a Inspiratory flow sensor, 4b Exhalation flow sensor, 5a Inspiratory pressure sensor, 5b Exhalation pressure sensor, 6 Inspiratory pipe, 7 Exhalation pipe 8 Control part 9 Air outlet 10 Cover 11 Housing 11a Suction pipe 11b Discharge pipe 11c Partition wall 11d Through hole 11e Support surface 11f Seal edge 12 Rotary valve 12a Shaft 12b Funnel Part, 12c sealing surface, 12d end, 13 convex fulcrum, 14 torsion spring, 15 cover, 16 sealing ring, 17 stepping motor, 17a drive shaft, 18 slit, 18a bottom surface, 19 thin plate, 19a free end.

Claims (15)

A housing (11), and a rotation valve (12) arranged to be rotatable around the longitudinal axis of the housing in the housing,
By rotating the rotary valve (12), at least one through hole (11d) can be completely or partially closed,
The rotary valve (12) has a conical sealing surface (12c), and the sealing surface (12c) is mutually connected to a support surface (11e) of the housing (11) that is configured correspondingly. Acting,
The through hole (11d) is disposed in the region of the seal surface (12c), and the rotary valve (12) is proportionally driven by an actuator, and the flow control and flow rate of the ventilator (1). In the adjustment valve,
The through hole (11d) is surrounded by a seal edge (11f) on the rotary valve (12) side, and the height of the edge of the seal edge (11f) is toward the valve closing direction. The rotary valve (12) is gradually connected to the actuator so as to be movable in the axial direction of the rotary valve (12) .
The actuator includes a drive shaft (17a), and the rotary valve (12) and the drive shaft (17a) are configured to be fitted at end portions (12d and 17d) that are related to each other. And
One of the end portions (17d) includes at least one slit (18), and the other end portion (12d) of the rotary valve (12) can be inserted into the slit (18). In the state where at least one slide element that transmits a movement rotating around the vertical axis is fitted and the end portions (12d, 17d) are fitted, the slide element inserted into the slit (18) is provided. The free end and the bottom surface (18a) of the slit (18) are separated in a state where the through hole (11d) is opened, and the slide element is movable in the axial direction in the slit (18). A valve characterized by being arranged . The slide element, characterized in that it is configured as a thin plate (19), a valve according to claim 1. The thin plate (19) can be inserted into an end (12d) that can be fitted into the end (17a) having the slit (18), and is held in the end (12d). The valve according to claim 3 , wherein: The housing (11) includes a lateral suction pipe (11a) for inflowing breathing air and a breathing air discharge pipe (11b) connected to the rotary valve (12) in the axial direction. has, above the sealing surface (12c) is characterized by being disposed between the suction tube and (11a) the discharge pipe (11b), any one of claims 1 to 3 The valve described in. The valve according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , characterized in that the rotary valve (12) is supported on the housing (11) in the axial direction by a center point support. The valve according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein the cone of the sealing surface (12c) is formed in a tapered shape so as to face the flow direction.   2. Valve according to claim 1, characterized in that the conical angle of the sealing surface is between 30 [deg.] And 60 [deg.], Preferably about 45 [deg.]. The through hole (11d), characterized in that when rotating in a direction of closing the rotary valve (12), the channel cross-section has been configured to be reduced progressively, according Item 8. The valve according to any one of Items 1 to 7 . The through hole (11d) is composed of a number of separate holes, and when the rotary valve (12) is rotated in the closing direction, the flow passage cross-sectional area of the through hole (11d) is progressively reduced. The valve according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the plurality of holes are arranged. The valve according to claim 8, wherein a plurality of the through holes (11d) are provided. 3. The valve according to claim 2 , wherein the one or more through holes (11 d) are configured in a wedge shape and a taper shape in a direction to close the rotary valve (12). 4. The part of the housing (11) and the rotary valve (12) that are in contact with each other for closing the through hole (11d) is closed by the conical radius of the part related to one through hole (11d). 12. Valve according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it increases continuously in the direction.   The valve according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pivot valve (12) is pivotable against the restoring force of at least one torsion spring (14). An air inlet (1), an air supply source (2), at least one control valve (3a, 3b) capable of proportional control, and a pressure for driving the control valve (3a, 3b) In a ventilator for artificially breathing a patient, or for assisting a patient's breathing, comprising a sensor (5a, 5b) and a sensor (4a, 4b) for measuring a flow rate,
The ventilator according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the control valve is the valve according to any one of claims 1 to 13.   15. A ventilator according to claim 14, characterized in that the air supply source (2) is configured as a blower that rotates at a constant rotational speed over the entire breathing cycle.