Adjustable HME Spindle Mechanism for Breathing Apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing breathing apparatuses lack adjustable humidification capabilities, leading to suboptimal humidity levels that can be either too high or too low, depending on environmental conditions and patient preference, which can cause discomfort and inefficiency in delivering humidified air.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable heat and moisture exchanger (HME) is integrated into breathing apparatuses, featuring spiral-wound HME material with adjustable apertures and a spindle mechanism to control airflow and humidity exchange, allowing for customizable humidity levels by altering the surface area, airflow rate, and residence time of air on the HME material.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If fixed HME configuration is used, then device simplicity is maintained, but humidification effectiveness cannot be adjusted to different environmental conditions or patient preferences
Solution Approach 1:
The HME configuration is made dynamic through a spindle mechanism that can rotate to tighten or loosen the spiral-wound HME material, changing the compressed volume and exposed surface area. This allows the same device to adapt to different humidification requirements without requiring multiple fixed configurations or complex control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes physical parameters of the HME material configuration - specifically the compressed volume and exposed surface area - by rotating the spindle. This simple mechanical parameter change enables adjustment of humidification effectiveness while maintaining device simplicity.
2Quantity of substance
If HME material is tightly compressed, then airflow resistance increases, but if loosely compressed, then humidity exchange surface area decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The spindle mechanism dynamically adjusts the compression level of the HME material, allowing optimization of the balance between airflow resistance and humidity exchange capacity. Users can rotate the spindle to achieve the desired balance based on individual needs and environmental conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
By changing the compression parameter of the HME material through spindle rotation, the invention simultaneously controls both the exposed surface area (affecting humidity exchange) and the airflow resistance, enabling optimization of both parameters together rather than having to choose one over the other.
3Quantity of substance
If larger HME surface area is used, then humidity exchange improves, but device volume increases reducing portability
Solution Approach 1:
The HME material is spiral-wound in a compact configuration around a spindle, allowing a large surface area to be nested within a small volume. When the spindle rotates, it progressively exposes more of the nested HME material surface area without increasing the overall device volume, maintaining portability while providing adjustable humidity exchange capacity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a two-dimensional surface area consideration to a three-dimensional spiral configuration. The HME material is arranged in a spiral pattern that can be compressed and expanded along the axial dimension by the spindle, allowing large surface area to be packed into compact volume while maintaining adjustability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The adjustable HME enables precise control of humidity levels, ensuring comfort and effectiveness in delivering humidified air, regardless of environmental conditions, by allowing patients to adjust humidity to preferred settings, thus enhancing therapy outcomes and user experience.
Implementation Method 1
HME material in the flow path with two or more surfaces exposed to the air flow path to exchange humidity between patient air flow and an inlet air flow
Implementation Method 2
HME material in the flow path with two or more surfaces exposed to the air flow path to exchange humidity between patient air flow and an inlet air flow
Data Source
AI summary
An adjustable heat and moisture exchanger (HME) for use with a breathing apparatus to humidify air comprising:an inlet for coupling to a source of air, and an outlet for delivering air to a patient and an air flow path between them,HME material in the flow path with two or more surfaces exposed to the air flow path to exchange humidity between patient air flow and an inlet air flow,at least one adjuster for adjusting the configuration of the HME material and/or the air flow to alter the air flow over the surfaces of the HME material to alter the exchange of humidity.