CPAP Air Pipe Protrusion for Sensor Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing CPAP machines face challenges in accurately controlling temperature and humidity due to sensor malfunction caused by air currents, which leads to inadequate cooling and measurement errors.
Innovation Solution
The CPAP machine design includes an air pipe with a protrusion and a diverting wall that creates a secondary air current to cool the sensor, ensuring accurate temperature and humidity measurement by diverting part of the air flow to parallel the wall, thereby effectively cooling the sensor.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a sensor is placed in the air pipe to measure temperature and humidity, then measurement function is provided, but the sensor is affected by air current causing measurement errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a partition wall as an intermediary structure that separates the sensor from the direct air current path. The partition wall creates a shielded measurement space where the sensor can accurately detect temperature and humidity without being directly exposed to the harmful air current, thus resolving the contradiction between providing measurement function and avoiding air current interference.
Solution Approach 2:
The air pipe internal space is segmented into different regions by the partition wall - a measurement region where the sensor operates in relatively calm air, and a flow region where the air current passes. This segmentation allows the sensor to function accurately while the air current continues to flow through the system, resolving the measurement accuracy issue.
2Measurement precision
If the sensor is exposed to air current for measurement, then measurement function is achieved, but the sensor is not sufficiently cooled causing large errors
Solution Approach 1:
The partition wall creates a localized cool environment around the sensor by blocking the direct path of warm air current. The sensor is positioned in a specific local region shielded from the main air flow, ensuring adequate cooling and stable temperature conditions for accurate measurement, while the rest of the system continues to operate with normal air flow.
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 design enhances sensor cooling, allowing for precise temperature and humidity control, reducing measurement errors and improving the overall performance of the CPAP machine.
Implementation Method 1
part of air that flows through a main space of the air pipe returns to the main space through the interior of the protrusion. Thus, an air current parallel to a wall defining the protrusion occurs. This air current cools the sensor.
Data Source
AI summary
A CPAP machine includes a housing, an air pipe, a blower, and a sensor S. The housing includes a first opening and a second opening. The air pipe is disposed in the housing, and has an inlet port continuous with the first opening, and an outlet port. The sensor S measures a temperature or a humidity of a gas that flows through an internal space of the air pipe. The air pipe includes a box that protrudes outward from a wall of the air pipe and a wall disposed in the box. The wall is disposed in the box to define a space continuous with the internal space of the air pipe, a space, and a space that connects the space and the space to each other. The sensor S is disposed at a wall of the box.