JP6665940B2 - Fluid control device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a fluid control device used, for example, for positive airway pressure (PAP).

  BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, for treatment of sleep-related disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA), for example, a fluid control device such as a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device (hereinafter, a CPAP device) has been used. Used. For example, a CPAP device has a device main body with a built-in fan, and supplies a gas (for example, air) from the device main body to a mask mounted on a patient's face at a constant pressure.

  By the way, if the gas is always supplied at a constant pressure, the gas at a constant pressure is supplied even in the expiration state, that is, even when exhaling, so that the patient may feel breathless. For this reason, various methods for reducing the pressure of the fluid have been proposed. For example, there are a method of controlling the number of revolutions of a fan, a method of opening and closing an entrance of the device, and a method of controlling an opening degree (for example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Japanese Patent Publication No. 11-514259 JP-T-2013-523195 Gazette

  Meanwhile, it is required that the pressure of the fluid be reduced in a short time. For this reason, in the method of controlling the number of rotations of the fan, it is necessary to greatly accelerate and decelerate the motor used as the drive unit of the fan, and there is a problem that power consumption increases. In the case of opening and closing the entrance and controlling the degree of opening of the entrance, the density of the air inside the housing decreases, and the internal pressure of the housing decreases. It takes a long time to obtain the response, and the response is poor.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a fluid control device having good controllability of fluid pressure.

A fluid control device that solves the above problem includes a fan, a driving unit that rotationally drives the fan, a driving control unit that controls driving of the fan via the driving unit, and a housing that houses the fan, A fan case having an intake unit that sucks fluid from the outside by rotation drive, and a discharge unit that discharges the fluid to the outside by rotation drive of the fan, a switch unit that opens and closes the discharge unit, and the switch unit. a switching control section which controls, have a pressure measuring unit that measures the pressure inside of the fan case, the drive control unit includes a constant pressure inside of the fan casing on the basis of the measurement result of the pressure measuring unit The rotation of the fan is controlled via the drive unit in such a manner as to perform the operation.

According to this configuration, the pressure of the fluid discharged from the discharge unit to the outside can be easily changed by opening and closing the opening and closing unit. In addition, since the pressure of the fluid is changed by opening and closing the opening and closing unit, the pressure can be changed in a shorter time than when, for example, adjusting the rotation speed of the fan. Further, the power consumption by opening and closing the opening and closing unit is smaller than the power consumption when accelerating and decelerating the motor. An increase in power is suppressed. Further, as compared with the conventional configuration in which the opening degree of the suction port is adjusted, the present configuration does not require a sensor or the like for detecting the opening degree of the suction port, thereby suppressing an increase in cost. In addition, by controlling the rotation of the fan by the measured pressure and keeping the pressure inside the fan case constant, when the opening / closing section is switched from the closed state to the open state, a fluid of a constant pressure is quickly discharged from the discharge section. Since the fluid can be supplied, the responsiveness of the fluid control device is improved.

  In the above fluid control device, the opening / closing control unit controls the opening / closing unit based on a pressure of the fluid or a flow rate of the fluid measured on a discharge port side of the opening / closing unit, and adjusts an opening degree of the discharge unit. Adjustment is preferred.

  The pressure or the flow rate of the fluid on the discharge side from the opening / closing section changes according to the load on the discharge side. By controlling the opening / closing unit based on the change, that is, by opening or closing the discharge unit according to the change in load, the discharge pressure of the fluid can be adjusted.

  In the above-described fluid control device, the opening / closing control unit may be configured to perform a control based on any one of a pressure of the fluid measured on a suction port side of the opening / closing unit, a flow rate of the fluid, and an amount of current flowing through the driving unit. It is preferable to control the opening / closing unit.

  When the load on the fluid to be discharged changes, the load changes the pressure of the fluid, the flow rate of the fluid, and the amount of current flowing through the drive unit. The pressure of the fluid to be discharged can be reduced by controlling the opening / closing unit based on the change, that is, by closing the discharge unit according to a change in the load on the fluid to be discharged.

  The above-described fluid control device is a fluid control device used for positive airway pressure, wherein the opening / closing control unit determines expiration and inspiration, and closes the discharge unit when it is determined to be exhalation. It is preferable to open the ejection part when it is determined that

  According to this configuration, the load in the exhalation state can be reduced by closing the discharge unit when it is determined that the exhalation is performed. In addition, the fluid can be supplied by opening the discharge unit when it is determined that the intake is performed.

  According to some aspects of the present invention, it is possible to provide a fluid control device with good controllability of fluid pressure.

(A) is a sectional side view of the fluid control device, and (b) is a plan sectional view of the fluid control device. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a use state of the fluid control device. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the fluid control device. FIG. 3 is a block diagram for describing a control method by the fluid control device. Sectional drawing which shows an example of an opening / closing part. (A) is a side sectional view of another fluid control device, and (b) is a plan sectional view of another fluid control device. Sectional drawing which shows another opening / closing part. FIG. 6 is a side sectional view of another fluid control device. FIG. 6 is a side sectional view of another fluid control device.

Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described.
In addition, the accompanying drawings may show components in an enlarged manner for easy understanding. The dimensional proportions of the components may differ from the actual ones or from those in another drawing. In the cross-sectional views, some components are not hatched in some cases for easy understanding.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the fluid control device 10 is used, for example, as a positive airway pressure (PAP) device. The fluid control device 10 is connected to a mask 62 via a tube 61. The mask 62 is worn on the face of the patient 63. The fluid control device 10 supplies gas (for example, air) at a desired pressure to the patient 63 via the tube 61 and the mask 62. Further, the fluid control device 10 estimates the state of the patient 63 (for example, at the time of exhalation), and controls the pressure of gas supplied to the patient 63 at the estimated timing.

  The fluid control device 10 includes a housing 11, a display unit 12 and an operation unit 13 arranged on an upper surface of the housing 11. The fluid control device 10 displays various information including the set value on the display unit 12. Further, the fluid control device 10 sets various information including a set value based on the operation of the operation unit 13. The set values include a reference pressure value of the supplied gas and a flow rate value of the gas.

  The fluid control device 10 detects the state (expiration, inspiration) of the patient 63 on which the mask 62 is mounted. Then, the fluid control device 10 supplies gas at the reference pressure value in the intake state. The reference pressure value is specified, for example, by a doctor. The reference pressure value is, for example, 1000 [Pa]. Then, the fluid control device 10 stops supplying the gas when in the exhalation state. By stopping the supply of gas when the patient is in the exhalation state, the difficulty in breathing in the patient 63 can be reduced.

  As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the fluid control device 10 has a housing 11, a fan unit 20 and a control unit 30 provided in the housing 11. The housing 11 has a suction port 14 for sucking gas and a discharge port 15 for discharging the sucked gas. The tube 61 shown in FIG. 2 is connected to the discharge port 15. The inside of the housing 11 has a blower room 17 and a control room 18 partitioned by a partition wall 16 that is erected.

  As shown in FIG. 1B, a fan unit 20 is provided in the blower chamber 17. The fan unit 20 has a fan case 21, a fan 22 housed in the fan case 21, and a motor 23 as a driving unit for driving the fan 22.

  The fan case 21 has a suction port 21a that opens downward and a discharge path 21b that protrudes from the side. The discharge path 21 b of the fan case 21 communicates with the discharge port 15 of the housing 11. The motor 23 is mounted on the upper surface of the fan case 21, and the rotation shaft 23 a of the motor 23 is inserted into the fan case 21. The fan 22 is attached to a rotation shaft 23a of the motor 23.

  The fan 22 is, for example, a centrifugal fan. When the fan 22 is driven to rotate by the motor 23, gas is taken into the blower chamber 17 from the suction port 14 as shown by an arrow in FIG. Further, as indicated by the arrow, the gas is sucked into the fan case 21 from the inside of the blower chamber 17 through the suction port 21a. Then, the gas inside the fan case 21 is discharged from the discharge path 21b. The discharged gas is sent from the discharge port 15 of the housing 11 to the patient 63 via the tube 61 and the mask 62 shown in FIG.

  An opening / closing unit 40 that opens and closes the discharge path 21b is provided in the discharge path 21b. In the example of FIG. 5, the opening / closing unit 40 includes a shutter 42 that closes the discharge path 21b, and a shutter driving unit (for example, a solenoid 43) that drives the shutter 42. By closing the discharge path 21b by the opening / closing section 40, the supply of gas to the outside is stopped. In addition, by opening the discharge path 21b by the opening / closing section 40, gas at a desired pressure is supplied to the outside.

  A control unit 30 is provided in the control room 18. The control unit 30 includes, for example, a circuit board and a plurality of electronic components mounted on the circuit board. The control unit 30 rotationally drives the fan 22 based on measurement results by various sensors described later. Further, the control unit 30 determines the state (expiration, inspiration) of the patient 63 based on the measurement results by the various sensors. Then, the control unit 30 controls the opening / closing unit 40 disposed on the discharge path 21b based on the determined state of the patient 63 to open and close the discharge path 21b.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the opening / closing section 40 has a shutter case 41, a shutter 42, a solenoid 43, and a spring 44 as an elastic body. The shutter case 41 is connected to the discharge path 21b. A shutter 42 is provided in the shutter case 41. The shutter 42 can protrude from the shutter case 41 into the discharge path 21b. The ejection path 21b is closed by the projection of the shutter 42. When the shutter 42 is housed in the shutter case 41, the discharge path 21b is opened.

  The solenoid 43 has a coil 51, a fixed iron core 52, a movable iron core 53, and a push pin 54. The coil 51 and the fixed core 52 are fixed to the shutter case 41. The movable iron core 53 is provided inside the coil 51. The movable iron core 53 moves toward the fixed iron core 52 by energizing the coil 51. The spring 44 moves the movable core 53 in a direction away from the fixed core 52. The shutter 42 is connected to a movable iron core 53 via a push pin 54.

  In the opening / closing section 40, the movable core 53 moves toward the fixed core 52 by energizing the coil 51. By the movement of the movable iron core 53, the shutter 42 projects into the discharge path 21b, and closes the discharge path 21b. When the energization of the coil 51 is stopped, the movable iron core 53 is pulled back from the closed position to the open position by the elastic force of the spring 44, and is held at the open position. Due to the movement of the movable iron core 53, the shutter 42 moves from the discharge path 21b into the shutter case 41, and the discharge path 21b is opened.

FIG. 3 shows an electrical configuration of the fluid control device 10.
As shown in FIG. 3, the fluid control device 10 includes a display unit 12, an operation unit 13, a motor 23, a control unit 30, a pressure sensor 31 as a pressure measurement unit, a flow sensor 32 as a flow measurement unit, and a solenoid 43. are doing.

  The pressure sensor 31 is provided in the fan case 21 shown in FIG. 1A, and measures the pressure inside the fan case 21. The pressure sensor 31 is arranged at a different height from the fan 22 in the axial direction of the rotating shaft 23a. As described above, the fluid in the fan case 21 is discharged from the discharge passage 21 b of the fan case 21 by the rotational driving of the fan 22 accommodated in the fan case 21. Therefore, when a fluid is discharged, the measurement result of the pressure sensor 31 is equal to the pressure of the discharged fluid. In other words, the pressure sensor 31 measures the pressure of the fluid.

  The flow sensor 32 is provided on the discharge side with respect to the opening / closing unit 40 shown in FIG. For example, the flow sensor 32 is provided in the tube 61 shown in FIG. The flow sensor 32 measures the flow rate of the fluid flowing through (passing through) the flow sensor 32.

  The control unit 30 stores various setting values. The set value includes a reference pressure value and a determination value. The determination value may be a value corresponding to at least one physical quantity capable of determining the expiration state and the inhalation state. For example, the determination value can include a first determination value for determining an expiration state and a second determination value for determining an inspiration state.

  The control unit 30 determines whether or not the patient 63 is in the exhalation state based on a comparison between the measurement result of the pressure sensor 31 and the determination value. Due to the exhalation of the patient 63, the pressure inside the fluid control device 10 increases through the mask 62 and the tube 61 shown in FIG. When the pressure measured by the pressure sensor 31 increases, the control unit 30 determines that the patient 63 is in the exhalation state. Then, the control unit 30 energizes the solenoid 43 based on the determination result, and closes the discharge path 21b shown in FIG. 1B.

  After closing the discharge path 21b, the control unit 30 stops energizing the solenoid 43 at an appropriate timing, and opens the discharge path 21b shown in FIG. 1B. For example, the control unit 30 opens the discharge passage 21b based on a comparison between the measurement result of the flow sensor 32 and the determination value. The flow rate sensor 32 measures the flow rate of the fluid between the discharge port 15 and the mask 62. In a state where the discharge passage 21b is closed, the gas in the tube 61 shown in FIG. The control unit 30 can determine that the patient 63 is in the inspiratory state by comparing the measurement result of the flow sensor 32 with the determination value. When the control unit 30 determines that the patient 63 is in the inspiratory state, the control unit 30 opens the discharge path 21b and supplies the gas having the reference pressure value to the patient 63.

  The control unit 30 drives the motor 23 based on the set reference pressure value. By driving the motor 23, the fan 22 shown in FIG. Gas having a pressure corresponding to the rotation speed of the fan 22 is discharged from the discharge path 21b. For example, the control unit 30 drives the motor 23 at a rotation speed according to the reference pressure value. The control unit 30 adjusts the rotation speed of the motor 23 based on the measurement result of the pressure sensor 31. For example, the control unit 30 adjusts the rotation speed of the motor 23 so that the pressure value measured by the pressure sensor 31 matches the reference pressure value. That is, the control unit 30 controls the rotation speed of the motor 23 by the pressure feedback loop, and controls the gas to be discharged at a constant pressure.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of the control unit 30 having a pressure feedback loop. The control unit 30 can include an opening / closing control unit 30a and a drive control unit 30b. The drive control unit 30b can include a pressure controller 30c, a rotation speed controller 30d, and a motor driver 30e.

  The opening / closing control unit 30a can have a first determination value OC1 and a second determination value OC2. When the opening / closing control unit 30a determines that the patient 63 is in the exhalation state based on the actual pressure value AP measured by the pressure sensor 31 and the first determination value OC1, the opening / closing unit 40 closes the discharge passage 21b. When the opening / closing control unit 30a determines that the patient 63 is in the inhalation state based on the actual fluid flow value AF measured by the flow sensor 32 and the second determination value OC2, the opening / closing unit 40 opens the discharge passage 21b. .

  The pressure controller 30c generates a rotation speed command RSI for increasing or decreasing the rotation speed of the motor 23 according to the reference pressure value RP and the actual pressure value AP measured by the pressure sensor 31. The rotation speed controller 30d generates a duty command DI having a duty ratio according to the rotation speed command RSI of the pressure controller 30c, and supplies the duty command DI to the motor driver 30e. The motor driver 30e generates a motor drive signal MD according to the duty command DI, and drives the motor 23 at the adjusted rotation speed. By such a feedback loop, gas having a constant pressure substantially equal to the reference pressure value RP is discharged from the discharge passage 21b.

  The pressure sensor 31 is configured to measure the pressure inside the fan case 21. Therefore, the pressure (AP) inside the fan case 21 measured by the pressure sensor 31 is a constant pressure substantially equal to the reference pressure value RP regardless of whether the opening / closing unit 40 closes the discharge passage 21b. Is maintained. As a result, when the opening / closing section 40 switches the discharge path 21b from the closed state to the open state, gas having a constant pressure substantially equal to the reference pressure value RP is quickly supplied to the tube 61 and the mask 62. The operation of the opening / closing unit 40 for closing and opening the discharge passage 21b may temporarily or momentarily affect the actual pressure value AP measured by the pressure sensor 31 (pressure fluctuation ΔP in FIG. 4). . However, the pressure fluctuation ΔP accompanying the operation of the opening / closing section 40 is promptly compensated by the feedback loop.

Next, the operation of the fluid control device 10 will be described.
The control unit 30 of the fluid control device 10 controls the rotation of the fan 22 based on the measurement result of the pressure sensor 31 so that the pressure of the gas discharged from the discharge passage 21b is constant. The gas discharged from the fluid control device 10 is supplied to the patient 63 via the tube 61 and the mask 62. The supplied gas expands the airway of the patient 63 and suppresses the airway from being blocked.

  An opening / closing section 40 is provided in the discharge path 21b of the fan unit 20. The control unit 30 determines the exhalation state of the patient 63, controls the opening / closing unit 40, and closes the discharge passage 21b. The gas supply to the patient 63 is stopped by closing the discharge passage 21b. As a result, the internal pressure of the tube 61 and the mask 62 decreases. Therefore, the breathing difficulty is reduced in the patient 63 in the expiratory state. Thus, the pressure of the gas discharged from the discharge path 21b can be easily changed by the opening / closing section 40.

  The opening / closing section 40 opens and closes the discharge path 21b by the movement of the shutter 42 by the solenoid 43 and the spring 44. Therefore, the discharge path 21b can be opened and closed in a short time (for example, within 0.1 second), and the pressure of the gas can be changed (increased or decreased). The opening and closing of the discharge path 21b by the opening and closing unit 40 consumes less power than in the case where the rotation speed of the fan 22 is reduced or increased in a short time. Therefore, an increase in power consumption can be suppressed. Further, in this embodiment, since the discharge passage 21b is opened and closed by the opening and closing unit 40, a sensor or the like for detecting the opening degree is not required as compared with the case where the opening degree of the suction port 14 is adjusted. The rise can be suppressed.

  The control unit 30 closes the discharge passage 21b by controlling the opening / closing unit 40 when it is determined that the exhalation state is present, based on a comparison between the pressure value of the gas measured by the pressure sensor 31 and the determination value. Thus, by closing the discharge path 21b according to the state of the patient 63, the load on the patient 63 can be reduced.

  When the discharge passage 21b is closed as described above, the pressure in the fluid control device 10, that is, the pressure value measured by the pressure sensor 31 increases. The control unit 30 controls the rotation speed of the motor 23 to decrease by a feedback loop so that the measured pressure value approaches the reference pressure value. The change in the number of revolutions of the motor 23 in this case is a case where the discharge path 21b is in the open state, and is smaller than the decrease in the number of revolutions when changing the gas pressure for the patient 63 in the exhalation state. It is moderate. For this reason, the power consumption when changing the rotation speed of the motor 23 for pressure control is extremely smaller than the power consumption when changing the gas pressure for the patient 63 in the expiration state.

  Further, the fluid control device 10 of the present embodiment closes the discharge path 21b that discharges the fluid to the outside. On the other hand, when the suction port for sucking the fluid from the outside is closed, the pressure in the fan case 21 does not increase, and the driving speed of the fan 22 further increases, so that the power consumption increases. For this reason, the power consumption by controlling the number of rotations of the motor 23 is extremely small in the case of closing the discharge passage as compared with the case of closing the suction port.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The fluid control device 10 includes a fan 22, a motor 23 for driving the fan 22, and a control unit 30 for controlling the motor 23. The control unit 30 controls the rotation of the fan 22 based on the measurement result of the pressure sensor 31 so that the pressure of the gas discharged to the outside from the discharge path 21b is constant. By the rotation of the fan 22, gas at a desired pressure is discharged from the discharge path 21b. The gas discharged from the fluid control device 10 is supplied to the patient 63 via the tube 61 and the mask 62. The gas to be supplied pushes the airway of the patient 63, thereby suppressing the airway from being blocked.

  (2) The opening / closing section 40 is provided in the discharge path 21b of the fan unit 20. The control unit 30 determines the exhalation state of the patient 63, controls the opening / closing unit 40, and closes the discharge passage 21b. The gas supply to the patient 63 is stopped by closing the discharge passage 21b. As a result, the internal pressure of the tube 61 and the mask 62 decreases. Therefore, the breathing difficulty is reduced in the patient 63 in the expiratory state. Thus, the pressure of the gas discharged from the discharge path 21b to the outside can be easily changed by the opening / closing section 40.

  (3) The solenoid 43 can close the discharge path 21b in a short time (for example, within 0.1 second). The power consumption is smaller than when the number of rotations of the motor 23 is reduced or increased in a short time. Therefore, power consumption can be reduced. The opening and closing of the discharge path 21b by the opening and closing unit 40 consumes less power than in the case where the rotation speed of the fan 22 is reduced or increased in a short time. Therefore, an increase in power consumption can be suppressed. Further, in this embodiment, since the discharge passage 21b is opened and closed by the opening and closing unit 40, a sensor or the like for detecting the opening degree is not required as compared with the case where the opening degree of the suction port 14 is adjusted. The rise can be suppressed.

The above embodiment may be implemented in the following modes.
-With respect to the above embodiment, the arrangement position and configuration of the opening / closing section may be changed as appropriate.
6A and 6B show another fluid control device 100. FIG. In the fluid control device 100, an opening / closing unit 40 is provided above the discharge path 21b. With the opening / closing section 40 arranged in this way, the same effect as in the above embodiment can be obtained.

  FIG. 7 shows another opening / closing section 40a. The opening / closing section 40a has a shutter case 41, a shutter 42, a solenoid 43, and a spring 44a as an elastic body. The solenoid 43 has a coil 51, a fixed iron core 52, a movable iron core 53, and a push pin 54. The spring 44a moves the movable core 53 in a direction away from the fixed core 52.

  When the coil 51 is energized, the movable core 53 moves toward the fixed core 52 in the opening / closing section 40a against the elastic force of the spring 44a. Due to the movement of the movable iron core 53, the shutter 42 moves from the discharge path 21b into the shutter case 41, and the discharge path 21b is opened. When the energization of the coil 51 is stopped, the spring 44a moves the movable iron core 53 by an elastic force. By the movement of the movable iron core 53, the shutter 42 projects into the discharge path 21b, and closes the discharge path 21b. The shutter 42 is held at the closed position by the elastic force of the spring 44a.

  The opening / closing section 40 in FIG. 5 and the opening / closing section 40a in FIG. 7 are configured to hold the shutter 42 in the open position or the closed position by the urging force of the springs 44, 44a when the coil 51 is not energized. On the other hand, the coil 51 may be energized to move the shutter 42 between the open position and the closed position. In this case, a permanent magnet can be used as a mover instead of the movable iron core 53. For example, a first end surface which may be a shutter-side end surface of the permanent magnet is one magnetic pole surface (for example, N pole) of the permanent magnet, and a second end surface which may be an anti-shutter-side end surface of the permanent magnet is the other end surface of the permanent magnet. (For example, S pole). Two coils 51 are arranged near one of the first and second end faces of the permanent magnet. The shutter 42 may be moved by switching between a magnetic attraction force and a magnetic repulsion force between the coil 51 and the permanent magnet in accordance with the direction of energization of the coil 51. Alternatively, a pair of coils 51 may be arranged near the first and second end surfaces of the permanent magnet, and the shutter 42 may be moved by switching the energizing direction of the pair of coils 51. When the opening / closing unit includes a permanent magnet and a coil, it is desirable to provide the springs 44 and 44a from the viewpoint of responsiveness. However, the shutter 42 can be held in the open position or the closed position by the weight of the permanent magnet, shutter, push pin and the like. In this case, the springs 44 and 44a may be omitted for the purpose of reducing power consumption.

  Further, in the fluid control device 10, the opening / closing control unit controls the opening / closing unit based on the pressure of the fluid or the flow rate of the fluid measured on the discharge port side from the opening / closing unit 40 to control the opening degree of the discharge unit. May be adjusted. This adjustment includes opening or closing the discharge section.

  The pressure or flow rate of the fluid on the discharge side from the opening / closing section 40 changes according to the load on the discharge side. By controlling the opening / closing unit 40 based on the change, that is, by opening or closing the discharge unit according to the change in load, the discharge pressure of the fluid can be adjusted.

  In the above embodiment, the opening / closing unit 40 is configured using a solenoid as the shutter driving unit, but a shutter driving unit other than the solenoid may be used. For example, a voice coil motor (VCM) can be used as the shutter drive unit. The voice coil motor can close the discharge path 21b in a short time (for example, within 0.1 second), similarly to the solenoid 43 of the above embodiment. The power consumption of the voice coil motor is smaller than when the number of rotations of the motor 23 is decreased or increased in a short time.

  As shown in FIG. 8, an electromagnetic valve 111 is provided in the discharge path 21b of the fluid control device 110. The solenoid valve 111 can close the discharge passage 21b in a short time (for example, within 0.1 second), similarly to the solenoid 43 of the above embodiment. The power consumption is smaller than when the number of rotations of the motor 23 is reduced or increased in a short time.

  In the above embodiment, the opening / closing section 40 that opens and closes the shutter 42 by moving the shutter 42 in a direction that intersects the direction in which the fluid flows is provided in the discharge path 21b of the fan case 21 that houses the fan 22. The closing direction may be appropriately changed.

  The fluid control device 120 shown in FIG. 9 opens and closes the discharge port 122 by moving the shutter 123 in the direction in which the fluid flows with respect to the discharge port 122 of the housing 121. Although FIG. 9 shows the spring 124 that closes the discharge port 122 with the shutter 123, the solenoid 43 or the voice coil motor of the above embodiment is used as a mechanism for moving the shutter 123 to open the discharge port 122. You may. Further, an electromagnetic valve may be provided at the discharge port 122.

  In the above embodiment, the expiration state is determined based on the comparison between the measurement result of the pressure sensor 31 and the determination value, and the discharge passage 21b is closed. However, the expiration state is determined by another method, and the discharge passage 21b is closed. You may make it.

For example, the flow rate of the fluid may be measured by the flow rate sensor 32, the expiration state may be determined based on a comparison between the measurement result and the determination value, and the discharge passage 21b may be closed.
Alternatively, the current flowing through the motor 23 shown in FIG. 3 may be measured by a current sensor, and the determination may be made based on the measurement result. The breathing state of the patient 63 appears as a change in the load on the motor 23. For example, when the patient 63 is in the inhalation state, the load on the motor 23 is small, and when the patient 63 is in the exhalation state, the load on the motor 23 is large. The amount of current in the motor 23 changes according to the load. In this way, the expiration state is determined by comparing the current flowing through the motor 23 with the determination value. Then, during the exhalation state, the discharge passage 21b is closed, and the supply of the fluid to the patient 63 is stopped.

  In the above-described embodiment, the intake state is determined based on the comparison between the measurement result of the flow sensor 32 and the determination value, and the discharge path 21b is opened. However, the intake state is determined by another method and the discharge path is determined. 21b may be opened.

  For example, a pressure sensor is provided on the downstream side of the fluid discharged from the opening / closing section 40 (for example, the tube 61 or the mask 62 shown in FIG. 2), and the pressure sensor measures the pressure of the fluid. Then, the intake state may be determined based on a comparison between the measurement result and the determination value. The fluid is supplied to the patient 63 by opening the discharge passage 21b when it is determined that the air is in the inhalation state.

  In the above embodiment, the intake state is determined based on the comparison between the measurement result of the flow sensor 32 and the determination value. However, the opening / closing section 40 may be controlled at an arbitrary timing to open the discharge passage 21b. . For example, a timer is provided in the control unit 30 to determine the expiration state and measure the elapsed time after closing the discharge passage 21b. The set time may be provided based on the result of determining the expiratory state and the inspiratory state by the fluid control device of the present invention, or may be input to the fluid control device of the present invention based on the result determined by another means. May be. When the measured elapsed time matches the set time, the discharge path 21b is opened. Also in this case, the drainage channel 21b is opened to supply the fluid to the patient 63, thereby expanding the airway of the patient 63, thereby suppressing the airway from being blocked, and closing the drainage channel 21b to stop the supply of the fluid. It can reduce breathlessness.

  -In the above-mentioned embodiment, although the case where gas (for example, air) is supplied as a fluid was explained, it may be used for supplying a gas-liquid mixture or a liquid containing atomized liquid. In the above embodiment, the fluid control device 10 is connected to the patient 63 via the tube 61 and the mask 62. However, a cannula may be used instead of the mask 62.

  -Control unit 30 may include one or more processors. For example, a single processor may function as the open / close control unit 30a and the drive control unit 30b, and a plurality of processors may function as the open / close control unit 30a and the drive control unit 30b. The control unit 30 may be an integrated circuit such as an application specific IC (ASIC).

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Fluid control device, 11 ... Case, 15 ... Discharge port, 21 ... Fan case, 21a ... Suction port (suction part), 21b ... Discharge path (discharge part), 22 ... Fan, 23 ... Motor (drive part) , 30: control unit (drive control unit, open / close control unit), 31: pressure sensor (pressure measurement unit), 40: open / close unit.

Claims (4)

Fans and
A driving unit that rotationally drives the fan,
A drive control unit that controls driving of the fan via the drive unit;
A fan case that accommodates the fan, and has a suction unit that sucks fluid from the outside by rotational driving of the fan, and a discharge unit that discharges the fluid to the outside by rotational driving of the fan;
An opening and closing unit for opening and closing the discharge unit;
An opening and closing control unit that controls the opening and closing unit;
Have a pressure measuring unit that measures the pressure inside of the fan case,
The drive control unit controls the rotation of the fan via the drive unit so as to keep the pressure inside the fan case constant based on the measurement result of the pressure measurement unit, wherein fluid control is performed. apparatus.   The opening and closing control unit controls the opening and closing unit to open or close the discharge unit based on a pressure of the fluid or a flow rate of the fluid measured on a discharge side of the opening and closing unit. Item 2. The fluid control device according to item 1.   The opening / closing control unit controls the opening / closing unit based on one of a pressure of the fluid measured on a suction port side of the opening / closing unit, a flow rate of the fluid, and an amount of current flowing to the driving unit. The fluid control device according to claim 1, wherein the discharge unit is closed by doing. The fluid control device is a fluid control device used for positive airway pressure, wherein the opening and closing control unit determines expiration and inspiration, and when it is determined to be exhalation, closes the discharge unit, and sets the The fluid control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the discharge unit is opened when the determination is made .

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