WO2018047767A1

WO2018047767A1 - Fluid control device

Info

Publication number: WO2018047767A1
Application number: PCT/JP2017/031790
Authority: WO
Inventors: 滋辻
Original assignee: 株式会社村田製作所
Priority date: 2016-09-12
Filing date: 2017-09-04
Publication date: 2018-03-15
Also published as: JP6665940B2; JPWO2018047767A1

Abstract

This fluid control device (10) has a fan (22), a motor (23) which drives the fan (22), and a control unit (30) which controls the motor (23). A fan case (21) for accommodating the fan (22) has: a suction opening (21a) into which fluid is sucked from the outside by the fan (22) which is rotationally driven; and a discharge path (21b) from which fluid is discharged to the outside by the fan (22) which is rotationally driven. Gas having a desired pressure is discharged from the discharge path (21b) by the rotation of the fan (22). The discharge path (21b) is provided with an opening and closing section (40). The control unit (30) determines the exhalation state of a patient and controls the opening and closing section (40) to close the discharge path (21b). Closing the discharge path (21b) stops the supply of gas to the patient.

Description

Fluid control device

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

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

By the way, if gas is constantly supplied at a constant pressure, the patient may feel breathless because the gas at a constant pressure is supplied even when exhaling, that is, when exhaling. For this reason, various methods for reducing the pressure of the fluid have been proposed. For example, there are a method for controlling the rotational speed of the fan and a method for opening and closing the entrance of the apparatus and controlling the opening degree (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Japanese National Patent Publication No. 11-514259 Special table 2013-523195 gazette

Incidentally, it is required to reduce the pressure of the fluid in a short time. For this reason, in the method of controlling the rotation speed of the fan, there is a problem that it is necessary to greatly accelerate and decelerate a motor used as a fan drive unit, and power consumption increases. Also, in the case of opening and closing the entrance and controlling the opening degree of the entrance, the density of the air inside the housing is reduced and the internal pressure of the housing is lowered. There is a problem that it takes a long time to obtain and the responsiveness 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 with good controllability of fluid pressure.

A fluid control device that solves the above problem includes a fan, a drive unit that rotationally drives the fan, a drive control unit that controls driving of the fan via the drive unit, and the fan. A fan case having an intake portion for sucking fluid from the outside by rotational drive; a discharge portion for discharging the fluid to the outside by rotational drive of the fan; an open / close portion for opening and closing the discharge portion; and the open / close portion. An open / close control unit for controlling.

According to this configuration, the pressure of the fluid discharged from the discharge portion to the outside can be easily changed by opening and closing the open / close portion. Further, since the pressure of the fluid is changed by opening and closing the opening / closing part, the pressure can be changed in a shorter time than when adjusting the rotational speed of the fan, for example. In addition, the power consumption due to opening / closing of the opening / closing section is smaller than the power consumption when accelerating / decelerating the motor, that is, the power consumption of the opening / closing section is less than when the fan speed is increased / decreased. Increase in power is suppressed. In addition, compared to the conventional configuration that adjusts the opening degree of the suction port, this configuration does not require a sensor or the like that detects the opening degree of the suction port, so that an increase in cost is suppressed.

In the fluid control device, 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 to control the degree of opening of the discharge unit. It is preferable to adjust.

The pressure or flow rate of the fluid on the discharge side from the opening / closing part varies depending on the load on the discharge side. The fluid discharge pressure can be adjusted by controlling the opening / closing portion based on the change, that is, by opening or closing the discharge portion in accordance with a change in load.

In the fluid control apparatus, the opening / closing control unit is based on any one of the pressure of the fluid measured on the inlet side from the opening / closing unit, the flow rate of the fluid, and the amount of current flowing through the driving unit. It is preferable to control the opening / closing part.

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

The fluid control device described above is a fluid control device used for positive airway pressure, and the opening / closing control unit determines expiration and inspiration, and when the expiration is determined, closes the discharge unit, When it is determined that the discharge portion is open, it is preferable.

According to this configuration, it is possible to reduce the load in the expired state by closing the discharge unit when it is determined to be expired. Moreover, the fluid can be supplied by opening the discharge portion when it is determined that the intake air is generated.

The fluid control device includes a pressure measurement unit that measures a pressure inside the fan case, and the drive control unit determines that the pressure inside the fan case is constant based on a measurement result of the pressure measurement unit. It is preferable to control the rotation of the fan via the driving unit.

According to this configuration, the rotation of the fan is controlled by the measured pressure, and the pressure inside the fan case is made constant so that when the opening / closing part is switched from the closed state to the opened state, the discharge part can quickly Since the fluid of pressure can be supplied, the responsiveness of the fluid control device is improved.

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

(A) is a sectional side view of a fluid control apparatus, (b) is a plane sectional view of a fluid control apparatus. Schematic which shows the use condition of a fluid control apparatus. The block diagram which shows the electric constitution of a fluid control apparatus. The block diagram for demonstrating the control method by a fluid control apparatus. Sectional drawing which shows an example of an opening-and-closing part. (A) is a sectional side view of another fluid control apparatus, (b) is a plane sectional view of another fluid control apparatus. Sectional drawing which shows another opening / closing part. FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of another fluid control device. FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of another fluid control device.

Hereinafter, an embodiment will be described.
In the accompanying drawings, components may be shown in an enlarged manner for easy understanding. The dimensional ratios of the components may be different from the actual ones or in other drawings. Further, in the cross-sectional view, some components may not be hatched for easy understanding.

As shown in FIG. 2, the fluid control device 10 is used as, for example, a positive airway pressure (PAP) device. The fluid control device 10 is connected to the mask 62 via the tube 61. The mask 62 is attached to the face of the patient 63. The fluid control device 10 supplies a gas (for example, air) having a desired pressure to the patient 63 through the tube 61 and the mask 62. The fluid control device 10 estimates the state of the patient 63 (for example, during expiration), and controls the pressure of the 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 disposed on the upper surface of the housing 11. The fluid control apparatus 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 value includes the reference pressure value of the gas to be supplied and the flow rate value of the gas.

The fluid control device 10 detects the state (expiration, inspiration) of the patient 63 to which the mask 62 is attached. And the fluid control apparatus 10 supplies gas with a reference | standard pressure value at the time of an inhalation state. The reference pressure value is designated by a doctor, for example. The reference pressure value is 1000 [Pa], for example. And the fluid control apparatus 10 stops supply of gas, when it is an expiration state. When the patient is in an exhaled state, the difficulty of breathing in the patient 63 can be reduced by stopping the supply of gas.

As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the fluid control apparatus 10 includes 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. A tube 61 shown in FIG. 2 is connected to the discharge port 15. The interior of the housing 11 has a blower chamber 17 and a control chamber 18 that are partitioned by a standing partition wall 16.

As shown in FIG. 1B, a fan unit 20 is disposed in the blower chamber 17. The fan unit 20 includes a fan case 21, a fan 22 accommodated in the fan case 21, and a motor 23 as a drive unit that drives the fan 22.

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

The fan 22 is, for example, a centrifugal fan. When the fan 22 is rotationally driven by the motor 23, gas is taken into the blower chamber 17 from the suction port 14 as indicated by an arrow in FIG. Further, as indicated by the arrows, the gas is sucked into the fan case 21 from the blower chamber 17 through the suction port 21a. And 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.

The discharge path 21b is provided with an opening / closing part 40 for opening and closing the discharge path 21b. In the example of FIG. 5, the opening / closing unit 40 includes a shutter 42 that closes the discharge path 21 b and a shutter driving unit (for example, a solenoid 43) that drives the shutter 42. The supply of gas to the outside is stopped by closing the discharge passage 21b by the opening / closing part 40. Moreover, the gas of desired pressure is supplied outside by opening the discharge path 21b by the opening / closing part 40.

A control unit 30 is disposed 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 obtained by various sensors described later. Moreover, the control unit 30 determines the state (expired air, inhaled air) of the patient 63 based on the measurement results obtained by various sensors. And the control unit 30 controls the opening / closing part 40 arrange | positioned at the discharge path 21b based on the determined state of the patient 63, and opens and closes the discharge path 21b.

As shown in FIG. 5, the opening / closing part 40 includes 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 disposed in the shutter case 41. The shutter 42 can project from the shutter case 41 into the discharge path 21b. The discharge path 21 b is closed by the protrusion of the shutter 42. When the shutter 42 is accommodated 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 iron core 52 are fixed to the shutter case 41. The movable iron core 53 is disposed inside the coil 51. The movable iron core 53 moves toward the fixed iron core 52 when the coil 51 is energized. The spring 44 moves the movable iron core 53 in a direction away from the fixed iron core 52. The shutter 42 is connected to the movable iron core 53 via a push pin 54.

In the opening / closing part 40, the movable iron core 53 moves toward the fixed iron core 52 by energizing the coil 51. Due to the movement of the movable iron core 53, the shutter 42 protrudes into the discharge path 21b and closes the discharge path 21b. When 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 held in the open position. By this 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 opens.

FIG. 3 shows an electrical configuration of the fluid control apparatus 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 rate sensor 32 as a flow rate measurement unit, and a solenoid 43. is 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 disposed at a height position different from that of the fan 22 in the axial direction of the rotation shaft 23a. As described above, the fluid in the fan case 21 is discharged from the discharge path 21 b of the fan case 21 by the rotational drive of the fan 22 accommodated in the fan case 21. Therefore, when the 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 part 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 the flow sensor 32 (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 that can determine the expiration state and the inspiration state. For example, the determination value can include a first determination value for determining the expiration state and a second determination value for determining the inhalation state.

The control unit 30 determines whether or not the patient 63 is in the expired state based on the 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 is increased through the mask 62 and the tube 61 shown in FIG. The control unit 30 determines that the patient 63 is in an expired state when the pressure measured by the pressure sensor 31 increases. Based on the determination result, the control unit 30 energizes the solenoid 43 to close the discharge path 21b shown in FIG.

After closing the discharge path 21b, the control unit 30 stops energization to the solenoid 43 at an appropriate timing, and opens the discharge path 21b shown in FIG. For example, the control unit 30 opens the discharge path 21b based on the 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 the state where the discharge path 21 b is closed, the gas in the tube 61 shown in FIG. 2 flows toward the patient 63 by the inhalation of the patient 63. The control unit 30 can determine that the patient 63 is in the inspiration 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 inhalation state, the control unit 30 opens the discharge passage 21b and supplies the reference pressure value gas 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. A gas having a pressure corresponding to the rotational speed of the fan 22 is discharged from the discharge passage 21b. For example, the control unit 30 drives the motor 23 at a rotational speed corresponding to the reference pressure value. Further, 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 adjusts the rotation speed of the motor 23 by the pressure feedback loop, and controls the gas to be discharged at a constant pressure.

An example of the control unit 30 having a pressure feedback loop is shown in FIG. The control unit 30 can include an open / close 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 an expired 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 path 21b. When the opening / closing control unit 30a determines that the patient 63 is in an inhalation state based on the actual fluid flow rate value AF measured by the flow rate sensor 32 and the second determination value OC2, the opening / closing unit 40 opens the discharge path 21b. .

The pressure controller 30 c 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 corresponding 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 rotational speed. By such a feedback loop, a 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 that is substantially equal to the reference pressure value RP regardless of whether the opening / closing part 40 blocks the discharge passage 21b. Maintained. As a result, when the opening / closing part 40 is switched from the closed state to the open state of the discharge passage 21b, a 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 that closes and opens the discharge path 21b may temporarily or instantaneously 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 unit 40 is quickly compensated by the feedback loop.

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

In the discharge path 21b of the fan unit 20, an opening / closing part 40 is disposed. The control unit 30 determines the expiration state of the patient 63 and controls the opening / closing unit 40 to close the discharge path 21b. The supply of gas to the patient 63 is stopped by the blockage of the discharge path 21b. As a result, the internal pressure of the tube 61 and the mask 62 decreases. For this reason, the shortness of breath is reduced in the exhaled patient 63. Thus, the pressure of the gas discharged from the discharge path 21b can be easily changed by the opening / closing part 40.

The opening / closing part 40 opens and closes the discharge path 21b by the movement of the shutter 42 by the solenoid 43 and the spring 44. For this reason, it is possible to change (increase or decrease) the pressure of the gas by opening and closing the discharge passage 21b in a short time (for example, within 0.1 seconds). The opening / closing of the discharge path 21b by the opening / closing unit 40 consumes less power than the case where the rotational speed of the fan 22 is decreased / increased in a short time. For this reason, an increase in power consumption can be suppressed. Moreover, since this embodiment opens and closes the discharge path 21b by the opening / closing part 40, it does not require a sensor or the like for detecting the opening degree as compared with the one that adjusts the opening degree of the suction port 14, so that the cost can be reduced. The rise can be suppressed.

The control unit 30 closes the discharge passage 21b by controlling the opening / closing part 40 when it is determined as an expired state based on the comparison between the gas pressure value measured by the pressure sensor 31 and the determination value. In this way, the load on the patient 63 can be reduced by closing the discharge path 21b according to the state of the patient 63.

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 motor 23 to reduce the rotation speed so that the measured pressure value approaches the reference pressure value by the feedback loop. The change in the rotational speed of the motor 23 in this case is a case where the discharge path 21b is in an open state, which is less than a decrease in the rotational speed when the gas pressure is changed with respect to the expired patient 63. It is moderate. For this reason, the power consumption in changing the rotation speed of the motor 23 for pressure control is extremely small compared to the power consumption when changing the gas pressure for the patient 63 in the expired state.

Further, the fluid control device 10 of the present embodiment closes the discharge path 21b for discharging the fluid to the outside. On the other hand, when the suction port for sucking fluid from the outside is closed, the pressure in the fan case 21 does not increase, and the drive rotational speed of the fan 22 increases and the power consumption increases. For this reason, the power consumption by controlling the number of revolutions of the motor 23 is extremely less when the discharge passage is blocked than when the suction port is closed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) The fluid control apparatus 10 includes a fan 22, a motor 23 that drives the fan 22, and a control unit 30 that controls the motor 23. Based on the measurement result of the pressure sensor 31, the control unit 30 controls the rotation of the fan 22 so that the pressure of the gas discharged from the discharge passage 21b to the outside is constant. As the fan 22 rotates, a gas having a desired pressure is discharged from the discharge passage 21b. Thus, the gas discharged from the fluid control apparatus 10 is supplied to the patient 63 through the tube 61 and the mask 62. It is possible to suppress the airway of the patient 63 from being widened by the supplied gas and blocking the airway.

(2) On the discharge path 21b of the fan unit 20, an opening / closing part 40 is provided. The control unit 30 determines the expiration state of the patient 63 and controls the opening / closing unit 40 to close the discharge path 21b. The supply of gas to the patient 63 is stopped by the blockage of the discharge path 21b. As a result, the internal pressure of the tube 61 and the mask 62 decreases. For this reason, the shortness of breath is reduced in the exhaled patient 63. Thus, the pressure of the gas discharged from the discharge path 21b to the outside can be easily changed by the opening / closing part 40.

(3) The solenoid 43 can close the discharge path 21b in a short time (for example, within 0.1 seconds). And power consumption is less than the case where the rotation speed of the motor 23 is decreased and increased in a short time. For this reason, power consumption can be reduced. The opening / closing of the discharge path 21b by the opening / closing unit 40 consumes less power than the case where the rotational speed of the fan 22 is decreased / increased in a short time. For this reason, an increase in power consumption can be suppressed. Moreover, since this embodiment opens and closes the discharge path 21b by the opening / closing part 40, it does not require a sensor or the like for detecting the opening degree as compared with the one that adjusts the opening degree of the suction port 14, so that the cost can be reduced. The rise can be suppressed.

In addition, you may implement the said embodiment in the following aspects.
-You may change the arrangement position and structure of an opening-and-closing part suitably with respect to the said embodiment.
FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B show another fluid control device 100. In the fluid control device 100, an opening / closing part 40 is disposed at the upper part of the discharge passage 21b. The opening / closing part 40 arranged in this way provides the same effects as in the above embodiment.

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

In the opening / closing portion 40a, the energization of the coil 51 causes the movable iron core 53 to move toward the fixed iron core 52 against the elastic force of the spring 44a. By this 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 opens. When the energization to the coil 51 is stopped, the spring 44a moves the movable iron core 53 by an elastic force. Due to the movement of the movable iron core 53, the shutter 42 protrudes into the discharge path 21b and closes the discharge path 21b. The shutter 42 is held in the closed position by the elastic force of the spring 44a.

Note that 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 biasing 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 the mover instead of the movable iron core 53. For example, the first end surface that can be the shutter-side end surface of the permanent magnet is one magnetic pole surface (for example, N pole) of the permanent magnet, and the second end surface that can be the anti-shutter-side end surface of the permanent magnet is the other end of the permanent magnet. A permanent magnet is arranged so as to be a magnetic pole surface (for example, S pole). Two coils 51 are arranged in the vicinity of one of the first and second end faces of the permanent magnet. The shutter 42 may be moved by switching between the magnetic attractive force and the magnetic repulsive force between the coil 51 and the permanent magnet according to the energization direction of the coil 51. Alternatively, the pair of coils 51 may be arranged in the vicinity of the first and second end faces of the permanent magnet, and the shutter 42 may be moved by switching the energization direction of the pair of coils 51. When the opening / closing portion includes a permanent magnet and a coil, it is desirable to provide

springs

44 and 44a from the viewpoint of responsiveness, but the shutter 42 can be held in the open position or the closed position by the weight of the permanent magnet, shutter, push pin, or 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, and the opening degree of the discharge unit. May be adjusted. This adjustment includes opening or closing the discharge part.

The pressure or flow rate of the fluid on the discharge side from the opening / closing part 40 varies depending on the load on the discharge side. The fluid discharge pressure can be adjusted by controlling the opening / closing unit 40 based on the change, that is, by opening or closing the discharge unit in accordance with a change in load.

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 seconds), similarly to the solenoid 43 of the above embodiment. The power consumption of the voice coil motor is small compared to the case where the rotational speed of the motor 23 is decreased or increased in a short time.

As shown in FIG. 8, an electromagnetic valve 111 is disposed in the discharge path 21 b 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 seconds), similarly to the solenoid 43 of the above embodiment. And power consumption is less than the case where the rotation speed of the motor 23 is decreased and increased in a short time.

In the above-described embodiment, the discharge path 21b of the fan case 21 that houses the fan 22 is the opening / closing unit 40 that opens and closes by moving the shutter 42 in a direction intersecting the fluid flow direction. The closing direction may be changed as appropriate.

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. 9 shows the spring 124 that closes the discharge port 122 by the shutter 123. However, the solenoid 43 or the voice coil motor of the above embodiment is used as a mechanism that moves the shutter 123 to open the discharge port 122. May be. 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 path 21b is blocked, but the expiration state is determined by other methods to block the discharge path 21b. You may make it do.

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

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, and the exhaust path 21b is opened. However, the intake state is determined by other methods to determine the exhaust path. You may make it open 21b.

For example, a pressure sensor is disposed on the downstream side of the fluid discharged from the opening / closing unit 40 (for example, the tube 61 and the mask 62 shown in FIG. 2), and the pressure of the fluid is measured by the pressure sensor. Then, the intake state may be determined based on the comparison between the measurement result and the determination value. And when it determines with an inhalation state, the fluid is supplied to the patient 63 by opening the discharge path 21b.

In the above embodiment, the intake state is determined based on the comparison between the measurement result of the flow rate sensor 32 and the determination value, but the opening / closing part 40 may be controlled to open the discharge passage 21b at an arbitrary timing. . For example, the control unit 30 includes a timer, and measures the elapsed time after determining the expiration state and closing the discharge path 21b. The set time may be provided based on the result of determining the expiration state and the inspiration 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 coincides with the set time, the discharge path 21b is opened. Even in this case, the discharge passage 21b is opened to supply fluid to the patient 63 to widen the air passage of the patient 63, thereby preventing the air passage from being blocked, and closing the discharge passage 21b to stop the supply of fluid. And suffocation can be reduced.

In the above embodiment, the case where gas (for example, air) is supplied as a fluid has been described. However, the present invention may also be used when a gas-liquid mixture or liquid containing a mist-like liquid is supplied. Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the fluid control apparatus 10 is connected with the patient 63 via the tube 61 and the mask 62, it replaces with the said mask 62 and a cannula may be used.

The control unit 30 may include one or more processors. For example, a single processor may function as the opening / closing control unit 30a and the drive control unit 30b, and a plurality of processors may function as the opening / closing 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 apparatus, 11 ... Housing | casing, 15 ... Discharge port, 21 ... Fan case, 21a ... Suction port (intake part), 21b ... Discharge path (discharge part), 22 ... Fan, 23 ... Motor (drive part) , 30... Control unit (drive control unit, opening / closing control unit), 31... Pressure sensor (pressure measuring unit), 40.

Claims

With fans,
A drive unit for rotationally driving the fan;
A drive control unit that controls the drive of the fan via the drive unit;
A fan case that houses the fan and has an intake portion that sucks fluid from the outside by rotation of the fan, and a discharge portion that discharges the fluid to the outside by rotation of the fan;
An opening and closing part for opening and closing the discharge part;
An open / close control unit for controlling the open / close unit;
A fluid control device.
The open / close control unit opens or closes the discharge unit by controlling the open / close unit based on the fluid pressure or the fluid flow rate measured on the discharge side from the open / close unit;
The fluid control device according to claim 1.
The opening / closing control unit controls the opening / closing unit based on any one of the pressure of the fluid measured on the inlet side of the opening / closing unit, the flow rate of the fluid, and the amount of current flowing through the driving unit. The fluid control device according to claim 1, wherein the discharge unit is closed.
The fluid control device is a fluid control device used for positive airway pressure, and the opening / closing control unit determines expiration and inhalation, and when determining the expiration, closes the discharge unit, Opening the discharge part when determined,
The fluid control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein:
A pressure measuring unit for measuring the pressure inside the fan case;
The drive control unit controls the rotation of the fan via the drive unit so as to make the pressure inside the fan case constant based on the measurement result of the pressure measurement unit;
The fluid control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: