Humidifier Serpentine Feed Path Liquid Ingress Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pressure support devices with integrated humidifiers face issues of liquid ingress due to tilting, leading to reduced efficiency, device damage, and increased size and weight, as well as inefficient bulk heating of water.
Innovation Solution
A pressure support system with a serpentine feed path that halts liquid flow from the storage chamber to the humidification chamber when the device is tilted, using gravity-fed liquid replenishment and a compact humidification chamber with a heater to maintain humidity in the pressurized gas flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the water chamber volume is increased to prevent liquid ingress during tilting, then device reliability is improved, but device size and weight increase
Solution Approach 1:
The water chamber is divided into two functional zones: an operational water chamber for therapy during use, and a tilt-prevention chamber that activates during tilting. This segmentation allows the system to use minimal water during operation while having additional water available only when needed for tilt protection, thus reducing overall device weight while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The feed path is designed with a predetermined serpentine configuration that automatically halts liquid flow when the device is tilted. This preliminary structural design ensures that water is prevented from entering the pressure support device before damage can occur, eliminating the need for large water volumes or complex active control systems.
2Reliability
If the water chamber volume is increased to prevent liquid ingress during tilting, then device reliability is improved, but device footprint increases
Solution Approach 1:
The water chamber is divided into two functional zones: an operational water chamber for therapy during use, and a tilt-prevention chamber that activates during tilting. This segmentation allows the system to use minimal water during operation while having additional water available only when needed for tilt protection, thus reducing overall device footprint while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The feed path is designed with a predetermined serpentine configuration that automatically halts liquid flow when the device is tilted. This preliminary structural design ensures that water is prevented from entering the pressure support device before damage can occur, eliminating the need for large water volumes or complex active control systems.
3Reliability
If bulk heating of large water volume is used, then liquid ingress protection is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The water chamber is divided into two functional zones: an operational water chamber for therapy during use, and a tilt-prevention chamber that activates during tilting. This segmentation allows the system to use minimal water during operation while having additional water available only when needed for tilt protection, thus reducing heating energy requirements while maintaining reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of heating large volumes of water in bulk, the system heats only the small volume of water actually needed for therapy in the operational chamber. The tilt-prevention chamber remains unheated during normal operation, consuming minimal energy while still providing protection when tilted.
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
Prevents liquid ingress during non-operational orientations, reduces device size and weight, and enhances energy efficiency by minimizing the water volume needed for humidification.
Implementation Method 1
The feed path is configured such that responsive to the device having an operational orientation, liquid from the liquid storage chamber is fed to the humidification chamber through the feed path by gravity
Implementation Method 2
The heater is configured to heat the liquid within the humidification chamber such that the pressurized flow of breathable gas is humidified as it flows through the humidification chamber
Implementation Method 3
The heater is configured to heat the liquid within the humidification chamber such that the pressurized flow of breathable gas is humidified as it flows through the humidification chamber
Data Source
AI summary
A pressure support device includes a humidification system (10) to control the humidity of a pressurized flow of breathable gas generated by the pressure support device. The humidification system includes a liquid storage chamber (32) and a humidification chamber (34). When in an operational orientation, liquid travels from the liquid storage chamber to the humidification chamber through a serpentine feed path (38) due to gravity. The serpentine shape of feed path halts the flow of liquid responsive to the device being tilted out of an operational orientation.