Electro-pneumatic assembly for use in a respiratory measurement system

Abstract

An electro-pneumatic assembly (100) for use in a respiratory measurement system that includes a housing (210) having a plurality of channels (212, 214, 216, 218) defined therein and a plurality of walls (224) forming a cavity (220). The housing includes an upper face (215), a lower face (225), and a plurality of apertures defined in the lower face of the housing. A cover (250) is affixed to the upper face of the housing to enclose the cavity thereby forming a chamber, and to enclose the channels thereby forming a plurality of conduits. A control component (320) is operatively coupled to at least one aperture in the plurality of apertures, and a measurement component (352, 354) is operatively coupled to at least one aperture in the plurality of apertures. This assembly provides a simple, robust component for managing the pneumatics of the respiratory measurement system.

Description

[0001] priority statement [0002] Pursuant to the terms of 35 U.S.C. §119(e), this application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 968,732, filed August 29, 2007, and pursuant to the terms of 35 U.S.C. §120 / 365, this application Claims the benefit of US Application No. 12 / 196,358, filed August 22, 2008. technical field [0003] The present invention relates to an integrated electro-pneumatic assembly for use in a respiration measurement system and a method of assembling the same. Background technique [0004] Respiratory flow and pressure measurements in the monitoring of the physical condition of athletes and other individuals during the administration of anesthesia, in the intensive care setting, and before or during the course of training programs and other medical testing provide useful information for assessing cardiorespiratory function and breathing circuit integrity valuable information. Many different technologies have been applied to...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

[0010] The complexity associated with the need for valves and interconnections for zeroing and purge functions makes conventional respiration measurement systems "bulky", multi-piece components that are difficult or expensive to assemble and have many complex pneumatic connections that must be made manually

Furthermore, the relatively large number of pneumatic connections between the different components leads to a greater likelihood of leaks at these connections

Such leaks adversely affect the measurement and lead to increased variability in the pneumatic path, thereby increasing the variability of the measurement especially under load conditions (e.g. low compliance, higher pressure)

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