Breathing Air Hose Detector Wire Fire Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Oxygen devices used by patients with lung weakness pose a high risk of fire due to the high oxygen concentration in the breathing gas, which can ignite the PVC breathing air hose, potentially leading to life-threatening conditions, especially when patients smoke.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a detector wire made of enameled copper with a melting point of 390°C into the breathing air hose, which melts upon burning and interrupts the oxygen supply, preventing the fire from spreading by reducing oxygen concentration around the source, thus extinguishing the flame quickly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a flame barrier is installed in the breathing air hose to prevent fire spread, then fire safety is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The harmful function of the breathing air hose is separated from its useful function by extracting the flame propagation capability. The hose is designed to be flame-arresting, allowing oxygen flow while preventing fire spread through material selection and structural design that blocks flame transmission while maintaining gas permeability.
Solution Approach 2:
The breathing air hose uses composite material construction combining materials with different fire resistance properties. The hose incorporates flame-retardant layers or coatings that prevent fire spread while allowing oxygen-enriched breathing gas to pass through, creating a multi-functional structure that addresses both safety and usability requirements.
2Difficulty of detecting and measuring
If complex fire detection systems with temperature sensors and salt water spraying are implemented, then fire detection capability is improved, but the device complexity and ease of operation deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The fire protection system operates autonomously without requiring patient intervention or complex control mechanisms. The flame-arresting hose automatically prevents fire spread through its material properties, and the oxygen supply system automatically shuts off when fire is detected, eliminating the need for manual operation or complex user interfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The harmful function of the breathing air hose is separated from its useful function by extracting the flame propagation capability. The hose is designed to be flame-arresting, allowing oxygen flow while preventing fire spread through material selection and structural design that blocks flame transmission while maintaining gas permeability.
3Reliability
If the oxygen supply is interrupted to extinguish fire in the breathing air hose, then fire safety is improved, but the duration of oxygen delivery to the patient is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The oxygen delivery system is segmented into separate pathways: a protected pathway through the flame-arresting hose that continues to deliver oxygen safely, and a shutdown pathway for the hazardous section. This allows selective interruption of oxygen supply only to the fire-risk area while maintaining supply to the patient through alternative routes.
Solution Approach 2:
The breathing air hose uses composite material construction combining materials with different fire resistance properties. The hose incorporates flame-retardant layers or coatings that prevent fire spread while allowing oxygen-enriched breathing gas to pass through, creating a multi-functional structure that addresses both safety and usability requirements.
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 effectively prevents the fire from spreading to surrounding objects like beds by ensuring the oxygen supply is stopped immediately upon detection of a fire, making it virtually impossible for the fire to spread, thereby enhancing patient safety with a simple and cost-effective production method.
Implementation Method 1
Incorporating a detector wire made of enameled copper with a melting point of 390°C into the breathing air hose, which melts upon burning
Implementation Method 2
the local source of the fire consumes so much oxygen that the oxygen concentration in the area around the source of the fire quickly drops to a value below which the breathing air hose no longer burns
Data Source
Figure 1~1c
Figure 2
AI summary
The apparatus (10) has breathing gas sources (14) for producing oxygen-enriched breathing gas (12). A breathing air hose (26) i.e. tube, is formed to guide the breathing gas from the breathing gas sources to a usage location i.e. patient's head (36). The hose comprises a detector wire (34) i.e. plastic light conductor, such that property i.e. optical property, of the detector wire is altered if the hose is burned or interrupted. The apparatus is formed such that the sources deliver the breathing gas into the hose, if the detector wire is intact. An independent claim is also included for a fire protection module.