JPH0288078A - Gas feed device for respiration - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable execution of safe operation by a method wherein a generating means, an automatic on-off valve means, an respiration phase detecting means, and a control means are contained in a box means with which a gas feed device for respiration is formed, and the other end side of a diaphragm is communicated to the outside of the box means. CONSTITUTION:Gas for respiration flowing out from a generating means is guided through a conduit means having an automatic on-off valve means to the nose or the mouth of a user. Namely, through control of opening and closing of a demand valve according to a respiration phase, gas for respiration can be fed only during, for example, the first half period of a respiration phase. Further, the other side of the diaphragm of the diaphragm type pressure fluctuation detecting part of a respiration phase detecting means contained in a box means, i.e. a space part on the reverse side to a space part communicated to an respiration air flow is communicated to the open air outside the box means. This constitution stabilizes detection of a respiration phase, which is apt to be unstable.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION <Field of Application of the Invention> The present invention relates to a breathing gas supply device equipped with an automatic opening/closing valve that can operate according to the breathing cycle.

Particularly preferred is an oxygen-enriched gas supply device using a pressure fluctuation adsorption type oxygen concentrator, which is equipped with an automatic opening/closing valve that can operate according to the breathing cycle.

<Prior art> Oxygen therapy has traditionally been performed on patients with respiratory diseases by inhaling oxygen from an oxygen cylinder. Since oxygen concentrators were developed and put into practical use, oxygen therapy using them has gradually become popular.

Examples of such an oxygen concentrator include a pressure-fluctuating adsorption type oxygen concentrator that repeats adsorption and desorption by varying the pressure in an adsorption bed filled with an adsorbent such as zeolite that is more likely to adsorb nitrogen.

When supplying oxygen-enriched gas obtained from these oxygen concentrators to patients with respiratory diseases, the concentrator is usually continuously introduced into the patient's nostrils through a nasal cannula installed at the end of an extended tube. The method will be adopted.

In addition to continuous supply, methods for supplying oxygen-enriched gas have been proposed in which the oxygen-enriched gas is intermittently supplied only during inhalation according to the patient's breathing cycle, thereby preventing wasteful release of oxygen-enriched gas. (Unexamined Japanese Patent Publication No. 59-8972)
(see publication).

<Object of the Invention> The present invention provides a breathing phase detection method for detecting pressure fluctuations that is effective for increasing the sensitivity of detecting the breathing cycle in a breathing gas supply device equipped with an automatic opening/closing valve that can operate according to the breathing cycle. With the means housed in a box means containing a means for generating breathing gas such as an oxygen concentrating means,
The aim is to provide something that enables stable operation.

Incidentally, if the respiratory phase detection means using a diaphragm type pressure fluctuation detection section, which is effective for increasing detection sensitivity, was simply housed in a box, malfunctions would easily occur and stable operation would be difficult.

<Structure of the Invention> As a result of intensive research to achieve the above object, the present inventors discovered that, in a pressure fluctuation detection diaphragm, a space portion on the side opposite to the side where pressure fluctuations are detected by communicating with the respiratory airflow. The inventors have discovered that communicating the space with the atmosphere outside the box means containing the breathing gas generating means is extremely effective in performing stable detection, and have arrived at the present invention.

That is, the present invention provides a breathing gas generating means, a conduit means having one end communicating with the generating means, an open supply means for the breathing gas at the other end, and an automatic opening/closing valve means in the middle, and a diaphragm. A respiratory phase detection means having a diaphragm type pressure fluctuation detection section whose one end side communicates with the respiratory airflow and detects at least a part of a predetermined phase in the breathing, and a respiratory phase detection means based on the detection result of the respiratory phase detection means. In a breathing gas supply device comprising a control means for controlling opening and closing of the automatic opening/closing valve means, the generating means, the automatic opening/closing valve means, the respiratory phase detection means, and the control means are combined into the breathing gas supply device. A respiratory gas supply device characterized in that the device is housed in a box means forming a diaphragm, and the other end side of the diaphragm is communicated with the outside of the box means.

The present invention will be explained in more detail below.

That is, the preferred breathing gas in the present invention is oxygen or oxygen-enriched gas. As a means for generating breathing gas, an oxygen concentrator may be used, and a pressure fluctuation adsorption type oxygen concentrator is particularly advantageous for practical use.

Examples of the adsorbent used in such a pressure fluctuation adsorption type oxygen concentrator include biolites, which easily adsorb nitrogen, molecular sieve carbon, etc., which easily adsorbs walking wire, and zeolites are usually used. for example,
An adsorption bed filled with an adsorbent made of biolite is usually connected to a compressor via conduit means on the inlet side, and connected to a storage tank for oxygen-enriched gas via conduit means on the outlet side. Furthermore, these conduit means are equipped with automatic on-off valves.
By automatically opening and closing them using a control means, the pressure inside the adsorption bed is increased by introducing compressed air to perform a nitrogen adsorption operation, and the concentrated oxygen-enriched gas is allowed to flow into the storage tank. A series of operations are repeated, including opening the valve on the inlet side, lowering the pressure within the adsorption bed to atmospheric pressure, and desorption. Although one adsorption bed may be used, two to three adsorption beds may be used in parallel. Further, a pressure reducing means such as a vacuum pump may be used for desorption, and the above-mentioned compressor may also be used as the pressure reducing means. These compressors and the like are usually driven by electric motors, but in order to remove the heat generated by their operation, fan means are also used to generate a cooling air flow.

The breathing gas flowing out from the generating means is guided from the open supply means to the user's nose or mouth via a conduit means equipped with an automatic opening/closing valve means (hereinafter also referred to as a demand valve). That is, by controlling the opening and closing of the demand valve in accordance with the breathing phase, it becomes possible to supply breathing gas only during the first half of the inspiratory phase, for example.

The open-type supply means in the present invention is one that supplies breathing gas to the patient's nostrils and mouth in an unsealed state, that is, in a state that is open to the atmosphere, and includes, for example, a nasal cannula.

The automatic opening/closing valve means of the present invention, including the demand valve, is preferably a DC excited solenoid valve, an AC excited solenoid valve, an air-operated automatic valve, a pilot-operated solenoid valve, etc. Among them, a DC excited solenoid valve, an air Actuated automatic valves and pilot-operated solenoid valves, etc., have a long life due to the gentle movement of the iron core, and generate less noise during operation. Measure 1 for noise reduction is even more preferable, and DC-excited solenoid valves are especially practical. It is.

Further, the respiratory phase detection means in the present invention has a diaphragm type pressure fluctuation detection section.

Some of these diaphragm-type pressure fluctuation detection parts are made of metal materials such as stainless steel, but there are others that use metal materials such as stainless steel. For measuring pressure or differential pressure, a polymer film surface-treated with a conductive substance is used as a diaphragm. In particular, in the case of a detection means using such a polymer film as a diaphragm, it is suitable for detecting slight variations in thickness and slight differential pressure of about several mm AQ. Note that a conduit that communicates with the spaces on both sides of one side of the diaphragm and whose other end opens at the nostril may be provided separately from the conduit means for supplying breathing gas to the nostril, etc.; There may be more than one in one conduit means.

Such a pressure fluctuation detection means is convenient because it can detect pressure fluctuations at a location away from the respiratory airflow, such as in the nostrils.
In particular, there is an advantage that the conduit means for detecting pressure fluctuations can be shared with the conduit means for supplying breathing gas.

In the present invention, at least some of the predetermined phases in respiration detected by the respiration phase detection means include the start of inhalation, the start of exhalation, and the like. In particular, a device in which the start of inspiration is detected as a predetermined phase is advantageous in practice, since the breathing gas can be stably supplied in accordance with the intake.

The apparatus of the present invention includes a control means for automatically opening and closing the demand valve based on the detection result of the respiratory phase detection means. The control means may be any commonly used control means, such as one using a microcomputer or the like.

The present invention is characterized in that at least the breathing gas generation means and the respiratory phase detection means are housed in the box means forming the device, but other demand valves and their control means are usually also housed in the box means. It is necessary to have it stored all together inside the room or for practical convenience.

Furthermore, the present invention provides that the other side of the diaphragm of the diaphragm type pressure fluctuation detection section provided in the respiratory phase detection means housed in the box means, that is, the space on the opposite side of the space communicating with the respiratory airflow, is outside the box means. It is characterized by being in communication with

That is, the space on the other side does not communicate with the space inside the box means, but communicates with the atmosphere outside the box means via a conduit means or the like.

When the pressure fluctuation adsorption type oxygen concentrating means is used as a means for generating breathing gas as described above, the noise generated from the electric motor housed in the box means, the compressor driven by the electric motor, and the cooling fan is absorbed into the box. In order to prevent leakage outside the means as much as possible, it is desirable to minimize the number of openings other than the air inlet, outlet, and oxygen WA condensed gas outlet. In such a case, if the other side of the diaphragm in the diaphragm pressure fluctuation detection section housed in the box means is made to communicate with the box interior space, stable respiratory phase detection cannot be achieved because the pressure in the box interior space is likely to fluctuate. It is particularly difficult.

In addition, in breathing gas supply devices equipped with demand valves and pressure fluctuation adsorption type oxygen concentrators whose operation is controlled by automatic on-off valves, the demand valves etc. In order to ensure stable operation, it is desirable to provide protection means such as a surge killer mechanism so that the control of the on-off valve is not affected.

In addition, as a countermeasure against momentary voltage drops in the power supply, these devices are equipped with functions such as automatic on-off valves that allow normal operation to continue without the effects of such momentary voltage drops being detected as an abnormality. It is preferable to incorporate the control means into the control means.

In addition, if a television or radio receiver is placed near a pressure fluctuation adsorption type oxygen concentrator, electromagnetic sealing material should be placed on the device to prevent harmful radio waves from being emitted from the device. It is preferable to include means such as the following.

In the device of the present invention, the space on the other side of the diaphragm in the diaphragm-type pressure fluctuation detection section is communicated with the atmosphere outside the box means through a conduit means, thereby stabilizing the respiratory phase detection, which tends to be unstable. be.

It is preferable that the opening for communication with the atmosphere outside the box means be provided away from the air intake and exhaust port.

<Effects of the Invention> The breathing gas supply device of the present invention can be put to practical use by housing a breathing phase detection means for efficiently controlling the supply of breathing gas in accordance with the breathing phase in a box forming the device. This makes it possible to stably detect the respiratory phase.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A means for generating breathing gas, a conduit means having one end communicating with the generating means, an open supply means for the breathing gas at the other end, and an automatic opening/closing valve means in the middle, and one end of a diaphragm. respiratory phase detection means having a diaphragm type pressure fluctuation detection section whose side communicates with the respiratory airflow and is capable of detecting at least a part of a predetermined phase in the breathing; and the automatic opening/closing based on the detection result of the respiratory phase detection means. In a breathing gas supply device comprising a control means for controlling opening and closing of a valve means,
The generating means, the automatic opening/closing valve means, the respiratory phase detection means, and the control means are housed in a box means forming the breathing gas supply device, and the other end side of the diaphragm is communicated with the outside of the box means. A breathing gas supply device characterized by: (2) The generation means includes at least one adsorption bed filled with an adsorbent capable of selectively adsorbing oxygen or nitrogen, and a compression means driven by an electric motor connected to the adsorption bed and/or pressure reduction means, storage tank means for temporarily storing the oxygen-enriched gas exiting the adsorption bed, and fan means for producing an air flow for cooling the compression means and/or the pressure reduction means. 2. The respiratory gas supply device according to claim 1, which is a variable adsorption type oxygen concentrator.