Breathing Apparatus Acoustic Gas Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing breathing apparatuses face challenges in accurately monitoring and controlling the delivery of substances, as existing methods are complex, costly, and prone to errors, particularly in distinguishing flow and concentration changes, which can compromise patient safety.
Innovation Solution
A breathing apparatus with a delivery device and a monitoring unit that uses acoustic property sensors, such as sound velocity measurements, to detect the presence and concentration of substances in the gas flow, allowing for real-time, independent measurement of gas flow and concentration without causing turbulence or pressure drops, and enabling immediate corrective actions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If pressure drop based flow meters or heat wire anemometers are used for measuring gas flow, then flow measurement is achieved, but compensation for changes in gas composition is required and the output depends on both gas flow and physical properties of the measured gas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the measurement task into two independent parts: flow measurement using acoustic principles and substance concentration measurement using optical or other sensor units. This allows each measurement to be performed independently without mutual interference or complex compensation requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical pressure drop-based flow meters with acoustic flow measurement using ultrasonic transducers. This substitution eliminates the need for mechanical pressure drops and the associated complexity of compensating for gas composition changes.
2Measurement precision
If optical gas analyzers are used for measuring substance concentration, then concentration measurement is achieved, but the system is expensive and involves time delay due to sidestream sampling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent positions the optical gas analyzer to receive mainstream gas flow directly from the vaporizer outlet without requiring sidestream sampling. This preliminary positioning of the sensor in the main gas path eliminates the time delay associated with transporting sampled gas to the analyzer.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the gas flow itself as the intermediary medium that carries both the flow information (measured by acoustic sensors) and the concentration information (measured by optical sensors) simultaneously, eliminating the need for separate sampling systems.
3Measurement precision
If sensor units such as pressure drop based flow meter or heat wire based flow meter are used, then flow measurement is achieved, but it is impossible to distinguish changes in concentrations from changes in flow
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the monitoring system into separate functional units: acoustic flow measurement units for measuring gas flow and optical/concentration sensor units for measuring substance concentration. This segmentation allows independent measurement of each parameter without the information being confounded by the other.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a multi-functional monitoring system where acoustic sensors measure flow characteristics and the same gas stream is simultaneously analyzed by optical sensors for concentration, providing comprehensive monitoring capability from a single integrated system.
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
This solution provides a cost-effective, reliable, and safe monitoring system that ensures accurate substance delivery, avoiding errors and ensuring patient safety by enabling real-time detection and correction of deviations in gas flow and concentration.
Implementation Method 1
a first sensor unit (40) arranged at a first gas conduit (41) at the gas outlet (33) or downstream thereof, which first sensor unit (40) is adapted to provide a first measurement value based on at least an acoustic property, such as a sound velocity related property, of a gas present in the first gas conduit (41)
Data Source
AI summary
A breathing apparatus has a first delivery device for adding a volume of a substance to a gas flow, the delivery device having a gas inlet and a gas outlet. A unit monitors a presence of the substance in a gas downstream the delivery device using a first sensor unit at the gas outlet that provides a first measurement value based on an acoustic property of a gas in a first conduit. A second sensor unit at the gas inlet provides a second measurement value based on an acoustic property of a gas present in the second conduit. A control unit determines the presence of the substance based on the first measurement value or based on a comparison of the first measurement value and the second measurement value.