Dual Ventilation Assembly with Automatic Coupling for Respiratory Safety
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing respiratory assistance devices have low performance and safety levels, particularly for restrictive patients, and lack redundancy and automatic switching capabilities, leading to potential incidents during device changes.
Innovation Solution
A respiratory assistance device with two ventilation assemblies and a coupling device that allows for automatic substitution or redundancy, enabling high performance and high security coupling modes to ensure continuous and safe operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single ventilation assembly is used, then the device complexity is low, but the reliability and safety are insufficient for restrictive patients
Solution Approach 1:
The ventilation system is divided into two independent ventilation assemblies (first and second), each capable of operating separately. This segmentation allows one assembly to serve as backup for the other, thereby improving reliability and safety without requiring a completely new system design.
Solution Approach 2:
The second ventilation assembly is prepared in advance as a backup unit, ready to take over immediately if the first assembly fails. This preliminary preparation ensures continuous operation and prevents interruptions in patient ventilation, addressing the safety concern before a failure actually occurs.
2Reliability
If two ventilation assemblies are used with automatic substitution capability, then the reliability and safety are improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A coupling device is introduced as an intermediary component that manages the connection and substitution between the two ventilation assemblies. This mediator handles the complexity of coordination and switching, allowing the assemblies to work together reliably while isolating the user from the underlying system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates automatic detection and substitution capabilities where the ventilation assemblies can identify failures and switch between themselves without external intervention. This self-service mechanism improves reliability while minimizing the operational complexity for users.
3Reliability
If manual device change is performed, then the device complexity is low, but the loss of time and risk of patient distress increase
Solution Approach 1:
The backup ventilation assembly is pre-configured and ready to operate immediately upon failure detection. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for manual setup or configuration during a switch, thereby reducing the time loss and ensuring continuous operation without patient distress.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors the operational status of both ventilation assemblies and provides feedback to automatically trigger substitution when a failure is detected. This real-time feedback mechanism ensures immediate response to failures, minimizing interruption time and maintaining continuous patient support.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a respiratory assistance device (1) for a person suffering from respiratory disorders, comprising a ventilation unit (100) and a connection interface (300) to which a breathing circuit (190) is connected. The ventilation unit (100) includes an air generator (101) and at least one pressure and/or flow sensor, and an airflow circuit connected to the connection interface. According to the invention, the device (1) includes at least one second ventilation unit (200) capable of operating either as a substitute for the first ventilation unit, simultaneously with the first ventilation unit, or redundantly, with the patient's breathing circuit connected directly or indirectly to at least one of the two units (100, 200).