Oxygen concentration adjustment system

Abstract

To provide an oxygen concentration adjustment system for adjusting the oxygen concentration in the air, which allows the oxygen concentration to be easily adjusted without impairing comfort.SOLUTION: An oxygen concentration adjustment system 100 is a system for adjusting the oxygen concentration in the air in an indoor room IR into and out of which a person HM enters and exits, and comprises a supplier 10 that supplies oxygen to the indoor room IR, a first detector 20 that detects the oxygen concentration in the air in the indoor room IR, a second detector 30 that detects the oxygen concentration in the blood of the person HM, and a controller 40 that controls an amount of oxygen supplied by the supplier 10 based on the oxygen concentration in the air detected by the first detector 20 and the oxygen concentration in the blood detected by the second detector 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an oxygen concentration adjusting system, which is a system for adjusting the oxygen concentration in air. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there are known techniques for adjusting the oxygen concentration in the air inhaled by a person. For example, in the system described in Patent Document 1 below, oxygen is supplied to a patient from an oxygen concentrator via a cannula. The amount of oxygen supplied is adjusted based on a doctor's prescription. The doctor remotely obtains the patient's biological information via a communication network and makes the prescription. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] International Publication No. WO2023 / 167169 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The technology described in the above patent document allows for efficient collection of patient biometric information, and oxygen can be supplied based on an appropriate prescription even when the patient and doctor are located far apart. However, the patient's movements are restricted by the need for a cannula, and a doctor's prescription is required. Therefore, there is room for improvement in terms of easily adjusting the oxygen concentration without compromising comfort.

[0005] In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to provide an oxygen concentration adjusting system for adjusting the oxygen concentration in the air, which can easily adjust the oxygen concentration without impairing comfort. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The technical means of the present invention for solving this technical problem is characterized as follows: The oxygen concentration adjusting system of the present invention is a system for adjusting the oxygen concentration in a medium in a space where an animal exists. The oxygen concentration adjusting system of the present invention includes a supplier that supplies oxygen into the space, a first detector that detects the oxygen concentration in the medium in the space, and a controller that controls the amount of oxygen supplied by the supplier based on the oxygen concentration in the medium detected by the first detector.

[0007] The oxygen concentration adjustment system of the present invention is used to adjust the oxygen concentration in the air in a room where people enter and exit, and is equipped with a second detector that detects one or more of the person's biological information, including the oxygen concentration in their blood, heart rate, respiratory rate, and activity level.The supplier supplies oxygen into the room, the first detector detects the oxygen concentration in the air in the room, and the controller controls the amount of oxygen supplied by the supplier based on the oxygen concentration in the air detected by the first detector and the biological information detected by the second detector.

[0008] In the oxygen concentration adjustment system of the present invention, the second detector detects at least the oxygen concentration in the person's blood, and the controller controls the amount of oxygen supplied by the supplier so that the lower the oxygen concentration in the blood, the higher the oxygen concentration in the air.

[0009] The oxygen concentration adjusting system of the present invention includes a learning model generating unit that generates a learning model obtained by machine learning of the correlation between the oxygen concentration in the blood and the oxygen concentration in the air. In the oxygen concentration adjusting system of the present invention, the controller uses the oxygen concentration in the blood to control the amount of oxygen supplied by the supplier so as to achieve the optimal oxygen concentration in the air estimated according to the learning model.

[0010] In the oxygen concentration adjusting system of the present invention, the supplier separates oxygen from the air taken in from the room and supplies the separated oxygen into the room.

[0011] In the oxygen concentration adjusting system of the present invention, the supplier discharges the gas from which the oxygen has been separated to the outside of the room.

[0012] The oxygen concentration adjustment system of the present invention includes an air conditioner that adjusts the temperature inside the room, the air conditioner having a refrigerant pipe that connects an indoor heat exchanger and an outdoor heat exchanger and is arranged to penetrate a wall that separates the indoor and outdoor spaces, and the supplier having an exhaust pipe that leads the gas from which the oxygen has been separated along the refrigerant pipe to the outside of the room. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the present invention, the oxygen concentration can be easily adjusted without impairing comfort. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of an oxygen concentration adjusting system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the positional relationship between an oxygen unit and an air conditioner in the oxygen concentration adjusting system shown in FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a supplier provided in an oxygen unit in the oxygen concentration adjusting system shown in FIG. 1, and the manner of information communication in the system. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an example of a learning model generated based on information collected by the server shown in FIG. 3. [Figure 5] 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the oxygen concentration adjusting system shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 1, an oxygen concentration adjusting system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a system for adjusting the oxygen concentration in the air in a room IR where a person HM enters and exits. In this embodiment, as an example, the oxygen concentration adjusting system 100 includes an air conditioner AC. Note that installation of the air conditioner AC is optional.

[0017] In this embodiment, as an example, the oxygen concentration adjusting system 100 is used to adjust the oxygen concentration in the air in a room IR where people HM enter and exit, but any usage may be used to adjust the oxygen concentration in a medium in a space where animals exist. Examples of animals include, in addition to people HM, domestic animals and livestock, farmed fish, etc. Furthermore, the medium in the space may be water, etc., in addition to air. The oxygen concentration may be adjusted based on the oxygen concentration in the medium using only the first detector 20 described below.

[0018] In this embodiment, as an example, the indoor IR where a person HM enters and exits is assumed to be the interior of a residential house, but it may also be, for example, the interior of a medical facility or exercise facility, or the interior of a mobility vehicle (passenger car, airplane, ship, etc.). Furthermore, the person HM present in the indoor IR may be a single person or multiple people. When multiple people HM exist in the indoor IR, the second detector 30 described below may be attached to each person.

[0019] 1 and 2, in the oxygen concentration adjusting system 100, the oxygen unit OU that supplies oxygen to the room IR may be disposed separately from the air conditioner AC. Alternatively, the oxygen unit OU may be integrated with the air conditioner AC so that hot and cold air and oxygen are supplied together to the room IR.

[0020] The air conditioner AC is equipped with an indoor heat exchanger IH, an outdoor heat exchanger OH, and refrigerant piping RP. The indoor heat exchanger IH is attached to the wall of the indoor IR and supplies cold and hot heat generated by the phase change of the refrigerant to the indoor IR air. The outdoor heat exchanger OH is installed outside the room and discharges waste heat generated by temperature control of the indoor IR.

[0021] The refrigerant piping RP connects the indoor heat exchanger IH and the outdoor heat exchanger OH, and the refrigerant flows through the refrigerant piping RP. The refrigerant piping RP is arranged to penetrate the wall that separates the indoor and outdoor spaces. More specifically, the refrigerant piping RP penetrates the wall via a through-hole TH.

[0022] The oxygen unit OU is hung on the wall of the room IR and installed near the indoor heat exchanger IH. The oxygen unit OU includes a supplier 10 and a first detector 20. The supplier 10 separates oxygen from the air taken in from the room IR and supplies the separated oxygen to the room IR. The gas from which the oxygen has been separated is discharged outside the room IR.

[0023] For this reason, the supply device 10 is provided with an exhaust pipe 12. The exhaust pipe 12 guides the gas from which oxygen has been separated to the outside of the room along the refrigerant pipe RP of the air conditioner AC. More specifically, the exhaust pipe 12 penetrates the wall via a through-hole TH in the wall. That is, both the refrigerant pipe RP and the exhaust pipe 12 are integrated into one through-hole TH.

[0024] The first detector 20 detects the oxygen concentration in the air at the indoor IR. The first detector 20 may use any measurement principle as long as it is capable of detecting the oxygen concentration in the air. For example, the first detector 20 may be a sensor using a zirconia solid electrolyte, a galvanic cell sensor, a magnetic or laser sensor, or the like.

[0025] 1 and 3, the oxygen concentration adjusting system 100 includes a supplier 10, a first detector 20, a second detector 30, a controller 40, a communicator 41, and a learning model generating unit 50. The supplier 10, the first detector 20, and the controller 40 are provided in an oxygen unit OU.

[0026] The supply unit 10 includes an adsorption tower 11, an exhaust pipe 12, a pump 13, and a four-way valve 14. Two adsorption towers 11 are provided, and a moisture absorbent 11b and an adsorbent 11a are installed inside the adsorption towers 11. The adsorbent 11a may be, for example, a molecular sieve.

[0027] When air is injected into the adsorption tower 11, nitrogen molecules are adsorbed by the adsorbent 11a. On the other hand, oxygen molecules pass through the gaps in the adsorbent 11a and flow out from the downstream side of the adsorption tower 11. The oxygen flowing out from the adsorption tower 11 is supplied to the room IR. The nitrogen molecules adsorbed to the adsorbent 11a are desorbed from the adsorbent 11a after the oxygen has flowed out. The nitrogen is then discharged from the upstream side of the adsorption tower 11 toward the exhaust pipe 12.

[0028] The pump 13 is disposed upstream of the two adsorption towers 11. The pump 13 takes in indoor IR air and pressurizes the air into the adsorption towers 11. A four-way valve 14 is interposed between the pump 13 and the adsorption towers 11. The operation of the four-way valve 14 enables flow path switching.

[0029] When the four-way valve 14 is in its original position, nitrogen is adsorbed onto the adsorbent 11a in one of the two adsorption towers 11. At the same time, nitrogen is desorbed from the adsorbent 11a in the other adsorption tower 11. When nitrogen adsorption and desorption are complete, the four-way valve 14 switches the flow paths, reversing the functions of the adsorption towers 11. This switching operation is repeated, and oxygen is continuously supplied from the adsorption towers 11 to the indoor IR, and nitrogen is continuously discharged outside the room through the exhaust pipe 12.

[0030] The pump 13, the four-way valve 14, and the first detector 20 are electrically connected to a controller 40 and a communication device 41 via an interface and a bus. The controller 40 is composed of an electronic circuit, a CPU, etc., and sends signals to the pump 13 and the four-way valve 14 to control their operation. More specifically, the controller 40 controls the flow rate and pressure of the pump 13 and the switching timing of the four-way valve 14.

[0031] The communicator 41 is connected to a communication network N so as to be able to communicate information. The form of information communication in the communicator 41 may be wireless communication such as 4G, 5G, or Wi-Fi (registered trademark). Information on the oxygen concentration in the air detected by the first detector 20 is transmitted from the communicator 41 to the server SV via the communication network N. In addition, information from the server SV is received by the communicator 41 via the communication network N.

[0032] The second detector 30 detects one or more pieces of biological information from the blood oxygen concentration, heart rate, respiratory rate, and activity level of the person HM. In this embodiment, the second detector 30 is configured to detect at least the blood oxygen concentration of the person HM. The second detector 30 may use any measurement principle as long as it is configured to detect the blood oxygen concentration. For example, the second detector 30 may measure the attenuation and reflection of light irradiated onto blood vessels and calculate oxygen saturation (e.g., SpO2). In this embodiment, the second detector 30 is worn on the wrist of the person HM as a smart watch, and is configured to measure the blood oxygen concentration by irradiating light onto the blood vessels of the wrist.

[0033] The second detector 30 is connected to a communication network N so as to be able to communicate information. The form of information communication in the second detector 30 may be wireless communication such as 4G, 5G, or Wi-Fi (registered trademark). The biological information detected by the second detector 30 is transmitted from the second detector 30 to the server SV via the communication network N.

[0034] The server SV is connected to a communication network N so that information can be communicated. The form of information communication in the server SV may be wireless communication such as 4G, 5G, or Wi-Fi (registered trademark), or may be wired communication. The server SV aggregates information obtained by the first detector 20 and the second detector 30 via the communication network N.

[0035] The server SV includes a learning model generation unit 50. The learning model generation unit 50 is configured with an electronic circuit, a CPU, etc., and executes processing by a program. The learning model generation unit 50 generates a learning model obtained by machine learning the correlation between the oxygen concentration in the blood and the oxygen concentration in the air.

[0036] 4, the learning model LM generated by the learning model generation unit 50 corresponds to the correlation between the airborne oxygen concentration C1 and the blood oxygen concentration C2. More specifically, the airborne oxygen concentration C1 and the blood oxygen concentration C2 are oxygen concentrations detected by the first detector 20 and the second detector 30. Detection by the first detector 20 and the second detector 30 is repeated at a predetermined timing, and a large number of airborne oxygen concentrations C1 and blood oxygen concentrations C2 are collected in the server SV.

[0037] Correspondingly, a large number of plots are generated on a coordinate system with the air oxygen concentration C1 and the blood oxygen concentration C2 as axes. Machine learning is performed on each plot to generate a learning model LM. The generated learning model LM is used for control by the controller 40 as follows.

[0038] The controller 40 controls the amount of oxygen supplied by the supplier 10 based on the oxygen concentration in the air C1 and the oxygen concentration in the blood C2 (biological information). The controller 40 controls the amount of oxygen supplied by the supplier 10 so that the lower the oxygen concentration in the blood C2, the higher the oxygen concentration in the air C1.

[0039] More specifically, the controller 40 uses the blood oxygen concentration C2 to control the amount of oxygen supplied by the supplier 10 so as to achieve an optimal oxygen concentration in the air estimated according to the learning model LM. The target value C2tv of the blood oxygen concentration C2 may be, for example, a blood oxygen concentration C2 at which the state of the person HM is appropriately maintained, or a value corresponding to a blood oxygen concentration C2 required for the person HM to recover from fatigue. The target value C2tv may be set in advance or may be adjusted as appropriate by the user.

[0040] As shown in Figure 4, the oxygen concentration in the air C1 estimated from the correlation of the learning model LM corresponding to this target value C2tv is the "optimum oxygen concentration in the air." The "optimum oxygen concentration in the air" corresponds to the target value C1tv of the oxygen concentration in the air C1.

[0041] For example, suppose that the detected value C2a of the blood oxygen concentration C2 is smaller than the target value C2tv. In this case, a corresponding value C1a (<target value C1tv) of the airborne oxygen concentration C1 is obtained corresponding to the detected value C2a. By supplying oxygen so that the oxygen concentration difference ΔC between the target value C1tv and the corresponding value C1a approaches zero, the oxygen concentration in the room IR approaches the target value C1tv. As a result, the oxygen concentration in the blood of the person HM approaches the target value C2tv.

[0042] In this embodiment, based on the above findings, the oxygen concentration difference ΔC is estimated from the learning model LM using the detected value C2a of the blood oxygen concentration C2. The controller 40 executes control so that this oxygen concentration difference ΔC approaches zero. The controller 40 controls the pump 13 and the four-way valve 14 so that the amount of oxygen supplied by the supplier 10 increases as the oxygen concentration difference ΔC increases. When increasing the amount of oxygen to be supplied, the pump 13 is controlled to increase the air flow rate (pressure), and the four-way valve 14 is controlled to advance the switching timing.

[0043] 5, when the oxygen concentration adjusting system 100 of this embodiment is operated, first, in step S1, the air oxygen concentration C1 of the room IR detected by the first detector 20 of the oxygen unit OU is transmitted to the server SV. In step S2, the blood oxygen concentration C2 of the person HM detected by the second detector 30 is transmitted to the server SV. Note that the processing of steps S1 and S2 may be performed in reverse order or simultaneously.

[0044] Next, in step S3, the learning model LM is generated by the learning model generation unit 50 of the server SV. In practice, steps S1 to S3 are repeated, and the learning model LM is updated each time a large amount of data is machine-learned.

[0045] Next, in step S4, the server SV estimates the oxygen concentration difference ΔC based on the blood oxygen concentration C2 (detected value C2a) and the learning model LM. Next, in step S5, the estimated oxygen concentration difference ΔC is transmitted from the server SV to the oxygen unit OU.

[0046] Next, in step S6, the controller 40 of the oxygen unit OU controls the pump 13 and the four-way valve 14 of the supplier 10 in accordance with the oxygen concentration difference ΔC. Then, in step S7, oxygen is supplied to the room IR by the supplier 10 of the oxygen unit OU.

[0047] [Effects of the embodiment] As described above, the oxygen concentration adjusting system 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention is a system for adjusting the oxygen concentration in the air in a room IR where a person HM enters and exits. The oxygen concentration adjusting system 100 includes a supplier 10 that supplies oxygen to the room IR, a first detector 20 that detects the oxygen concentration in the air in the room IR, a second detector 30 that detects the oxygen concentration in the blood of the person HM, and a controller 40 that controls the amount of oxygen supplied by the supplier 10 based on the oxygen concentration in the air detected by the first detector 20 and the oxygen concentration in the blood detected by the second detector 30.

[0048] This allows the amount of oxygen supplied to the room IR to be controlled based on the air oxygen concentration C1 and the blood oxygen concentration C2, thereby making it possible to maintain an appropriate oxygen concentration in the air in the room IR. The first detector 20 is installed in the room IR, and the second detector 30 can be attached to the person HM as a wearable device such as a smart watch. Furthermore, adjusting the oxygen concentration does not require a doctor's prescription, etc. Therefore, the oxygen concentration can be easily adjusted without compromising comfort.

[0049] In particular, in the oxygen concentration adjusting system 100, the controller 40 controls the amount of oxygen supplied by the supplier 10 so that the lower the oxygen concentration in the blood of the person HM, the higher the oxygen concentration in the air in the room IR.

[0050] According to this, even if the oxygen concentration in the blood of the person HM is low, the oxygen concentration in the air of the room IR can be appropriately increased according to the blood oxygen concentration. Therefore, the oxygen concentration in the blood of the person HM can be made appropriate.

[0051] In particular, the oxygen concentration adjusting system 100 includes a learning model generating unit 50 that generates a learning model LM obtained by machine learning of the correlation between the blood oxygen concentration C2 and the air oxygen concentration C1. In the oxygen concentration adjusting system 100, the controller 40 uses the blood oxygen concentration of the person HM to control the amount of oxygen supplied by the supplier 10 so as to achieve an optimal air oxygen concentration in the room IR estimated according to the learning model LM.

[0052] This allows information on a large number of blood oxygen concentrations C2 and airborne oxygen concentrations C1 to be reflected in the learning model LM. Therefore, it is possible to easily estimate the optimal airborne oxygen concentration C1 corresponding to the target value C2tv of the blood oxygen concentration C2. Therefore, based on the learning model LM, it is possible to easily optimize the airborne oxygen concentration in the room IR.

[0053] In the oxygen concentration adjusting system 100, the supplier 10 separates oxygen from the air taken in from the room IR and supplies the separated oxygen to the room IR.

[0054] According to this method, the starting material for the supplied oxygen is the indoor IR air. Therefore, there is no need to use a separate raw material for generating oxygen. In addition, the amount of oxygen supplied can be easily adjusted by controlling the oxygen separation speed. Therefore, oxygen can be supplied easily and at low cost.

[0055] In the oxygen concentration adjusting system 100, the supplier 10 discharges the gas from which the oxygen has been separated to the outside of the room IR.

[0056] This makes it possible to reliably increase the concentration of oxygen supplied to the room IR, thereby quickly increasing the oxygen concentration in the air in the room IR to a desired concentration.

[0057] The oxygen concentration adjustment system 100 includes an air conditioner AC that adjusts the temperature of the indoor IR, the air conditioner AC having a refrigerant pipe RP that connects an indoor heat exchanger IH and an outdoor heat exchanger OH and is arranged to penetrate the wall that separates the indoor IR from the outdoors, and the supplier 10 has an exhaust pipe 12 that leads the gas from which the oxygen has been separated to the outdoors along the refrigerant pipe RP.

[0058] This allows not only the oxygen concentration in the air in the indoor IR to be adjusted, but also the temperature of the indoor IR to be controlled. Therefore, the synergistic effect of oxygen concentration control and temperature control can realize even greater comfort. Furthermore, by utilizing the fact that equipment such as the refrigerant piping RP of the air conditioner AC extends from the indoor IR to the outdoors, the exhaust piping 12 of the supplier 10 can also be routed outdoors. Therefore, construction costs can be reduced.

[0059] In the above embodiment, only the oxygen concentration in the blood of the person HM is used as the biological information, but instead, for example, one or more pieces of biological information among the oxygen concentration in the blood of the person HM, heart rate, respiratory rate, and activity level may be used. Based on the corresponding biological information, the amount of oxygen supplied by the supply device may be controlled, and a learning model may be generated.

[0060] The above-described embodiments disclosed herein are to be considered as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the claims, not by the above description, and is intended to include all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 10...Supplier 12...Exhaust piping 20...First detector 30...Second detector 40...Controller 100...Oxygen concentration adjustment system AC…Air conditioner C1: Oxygen concentration in air C2: Blood oxygen concentration ΔC…Oxygen concentration difference OU...Oxygen unit LM...Learning Model

Claims

1. An oxygen concentration adjusting system for adjusting the oxygen concentration in a medium in a space where an animal is present, comprising: a supplier that supplies oxygen into the space; a first detector for detecting an oxygen concentration in a medium within the space; a controller that controls the amount of oxygen supplied by the supplier based on the oxygen concentration in the medium detected by the first detector; Equipped with Oxygen concentration adjustment system.

2. The oxygen concentration adjusting system according to claim 1, It is used to adjust the oxygen concentration in the air in rooms where people enter and exit. a second detector configured to detect one or more biological information of the person's blood oxygen concentration, heart rate, respiratory rate, and activity level; The supplier comprises: supplying oxygen into the chamber; The first detector is Detecting the oxygen concentration in the air in the room; The controller The amount of oxygen supplied by the supply device is controlled based on the oxygen concentration in the air detected by the first detector and the biological information detected by the second detector. Oxygen concentration adjustment system.

3. The oxygen concentration adjusting system according to claim 2, The second detector is detecting an oxygen concentration in at least the person's blood; The controller The amount of oxygen supplied by the supply device is controlled so that the lower the oxygen concentration in the blood, the higher the oxygen concentration in the air. Oxygen concentration adjustment system.

4. The oxygen concentration adjusting system according to claim 3, a learning model generation unit that generates a correlation between the oxygen concentration in the blood and the oxygen concentration in the air as a learning model obtained by machine learning; Equipped with The controller The blood oxygen concentration is used to control the amount of oxygen supplied by the supply device so as to achieve the optimal oxygen concentration in the air estimated according to the learning model. Oxygen concentration adjustment system.

5. The oxygen concentration adjusting system according to any one of claims 2 to 4, The supplier comprises: Separating oxygen from the air taken in from the room and supplying the separated oxygen into the room. Oxygen concentration adjustment system.

6. The oxygen concentration adjusting system according to claim 5, The supplier comprises: The gas from which the oxygen has been separated is discharged to the outside of the room. Oxygen concentration adjustment system.

7. The oxygen concentration adjusting system according to claim 6, An air conditioner that adjusts the temperature in the room Equipped with The air conditioner is a refrigerant pipe that connects the indoor heat exchanger and the outdoor heat exchanger and is arranged to penetrate a wall that separates the indoor space from the outdoor space; The supplier comprises: an exhaust pipe that guides the gas from which the oxygen has been separated along the refrigerant pipe to the outside of the room; Oxygen concentration adjustment system.

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