Respiratory Humidifier Lighting Device Alarm Signaling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Respiratory humidifiers for ventilated patients lack an effective and cost-efficient means to clearly signal alarm states due to limited display capabilities and the need for a simple, inexpensive design that can be easily manufactured.
Innovation Solution
A lighting device for the humidifier that uses a light source within the housing to direct light through a light exit and entrance portion into the liquid container, leveraging reflection from the liquid's surface to create a large illuminated area, with optional features like transparent walls and polished surfaces for enhanced visibility and multicolored LEDs for alarm coding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If small LEDs forming display elements are used in the control unit, then the device complexity is reduced, but the illumination intensity and visibility of alarm signals is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the liquid container's bottom plate with a reflective surface to create a light amplifier. The light source in the housing illuminates the liquid, and the reflective bottom plate redirects light back through the liquid and container walls, merging the illumination function with the container structure itself. This eliminates the need for separate display elements while dramatically increasing visibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The liquid container serves dual functions: it holds the breathing humidifying liquid and simultaneously acts as the display medium for alarm signals. The transparent or translucent container walls and reflective bottom plate enable the container itself to provide the illumination function, making the system self-sufficient without additional display components.
2Illumination intensity
If transparent or translucent container walls are used to improve light transmission, then the illumination intensity is improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies transparency or translucency selectively to specific portions of the container walls rather than requiring the entire container to meet high precision standards. The bottom plate is specified as reflective while wall portions can vary in transparency, allowing different manufacturing tolerances for different sections and simplifying overall fabrication.
3Illumination intensity
If the light source is positioned to illuminate the liquid surface, then the reflected light increases visibility, but the device complexity increases due to additional optical components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the reflective function from separate optical components and integrates it directly into the container's bottom plate. By making the bottom plate itself reflective, the design eliminates the need for separate mirrors or reflective elements, reducing component count while maintaining the light reflection effect that enhances visibility.
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 solution provides a clear, optically conspicuous alarm signaling from multiple directions without active electrical components, enhancing user detection and maintaining a low-cost, simple design for manufacturing.
Implementation Method 1
the light proceeding from the light source in a lighting direction passes through the light exit portion and the light entrance portion and thus arrives in the liquid container. As a result of the passage of light from the inside of the housing into the liquid container, that is, onto the surface of the liquid, a relatively large illuminated area is obtained, which is increased even more by the reflection of the light from the surface of the liquid.
Data Source
AI summary
A lighting device for a respiratory humidifier (1) is provided, the humidifier comprising a liquid container (3) with a bottom plate and a housing (2) with a heating plate (8), wherein the heating plate (8) can be heated for heating the liquid in the liquid container (3), and wherein the bottom plate can be brought into contact with the heating plate (8), wherein the housing (2) comprises a light source (20) and a light exit portion (22), and the liquid container (3) comprises a light entrance portion (21), wherein the light proceeding from the light source (20) proceeds in a lighting direction through the light exit portion (22) and the light entrance portion (21) and thus arrives in the liquid container (3).