Breathing Lung Device Positive Pressure Inversion
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing simulation devices for ventilating ex vivo lungs are difficult to operate without training and fail to provide a meaningful user experience, often requiring complex and noisy systems using negative pressure or high-pressure compressed gases.
Innovation Solution
A device that uses positive low-pressure air to inflate lungs, featuring a pneumatic diaphragm pump, valve, and controller to manage airflow, with pressure sensors and user controls for setting threshold values and pump speed, allowing for variable inspiration rates and interactive training scenarios.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If negative pressure is used to inflate lungs, then lungs can naturally fill with ventilation gas, but the system requires complex sealed chambers and specialized equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional negative pressure approach by using positive pressure (50 psi) to inflate the lungs. Instead of creating a vacuum or negative pressure environment, the system uses a high-pressure air reservoir that forces ventilation gas into the lungs through pressure differential, eliminating the need for complex sealed chambers and negative pressure generation equipment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and eliminates the complex sealed chamber requirement from the system. By using positive pressure from an air reservoir, the system can operate without maintaining a sealed negative pressure environment, simplifying the overall device architecture while still achieving effective lung inflation.
2Productivity
If high pressure reservoirs (50 psi) are used to operate valves, then ventilation can be achieved, but compressed gas tanks or compressors add complexity, size, and noise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the high-pressure gas storage function from complex systems like compressed gas tanks or compressors. By using a simple high-pressure air reservoir that can be manually or automatically refilled, the system eliminates the need for bulky compressors and their associated complexity, while maintaining the 50 psi pressure required for effective ventilation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a disposable or refillable high-pressure air reservoir instead of a permanent, complex compression system. This approach uses a simple pressure vessel that can be easily replaced or recharged, reducing overall system complexity and eliminating the need for maintenance-prone compressors and gas tanks.
3Productivity
If high pressure reservoirs (50 psi) are used to operate valves, then ventilation can be achieved, but the system becomes noisier
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the noise-generating compression function from the system by replacing compressors and large gas tanks with a simpler high-pressure air reservoir. This eliminates the mechanical noise associated with compressor operation and gas tank pressure regulation, while maintaining the 50 psi pressure needed for effective ventilation through the valve mechanism.
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 device simplifies lung simulation and training by providing a user-friendly, quiet, and efficient means of ventilating lungs with positive air pressure, enabling effective interactive training and medical device testing.
Implementation Method 1
The air supply component inflates the synthetic lung or the real lung with positive low-pressure air
Implementation Method 2
The air supply component includes a pressure sensor configured to generate a pressure value and send the pressure value to the controller
Data Source
AI summary
A device for placing a lung in a variety of different inflation states using positive air pressure. An exemplary device includes a housing and an air supply component. The housing includes a platform receives at least one of a synthetic lung or a real lung. The platform is at the same air pressure as a surrounding environment. The air supply component is located within the one or more internal cavities of the housing. The air supply component inflates the synthetic lung or the real lung with positive pressure.