Modular Oxygen Concentrator with Interchangeable Sieve Modules
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current portable oxygen concentrators for COPD patients are inflexible, requiring multiple devices as the disease progresses, leading to increased costs and complexity in manufacturing and supply chains, as well as reduced patient compliance due to size and weight issues.
Innovation Solution
A configurable oxygen concentrator with a modular design that allows for interchangeable sieve modules and batteries, enabling adjustment of oxygen flow rates and volumes within a single device, reducing the need for multiple units and enabling patient-led upgrades as their condition changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If portable oxygen concentrators are made lightweight for patient portability, then patient compliance improves, but the device cannot provide sufficient oxygen flow rates for progressive COPD stages
Solution Approach 1:
The concentrator is divided into modular components including removable sieve modules, battery assemblies, and control modules. This segmentation allows the device to be configured in different weight and capacity versions suitable for various COPD stages, enabling patients to carry only the necessary components while maintaining adequate oxygen flow rates.
Solution Approach 2:
The device incorporates adjustable and reconfigurable elements such as interchangeable sieve modules with different adsorbent capacities and removable battery packs. This dynamic configuration allows the oxygen flow rate and device weight to be adapted as the patient's condition progresses, resolving the contradiction between lightweight portability and sufficient oxygen delivery.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple concentrator models are manufactured to accommodate different COPD stages, then patient needs are met, but manufacturing and supply chain complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A single base model concentrator is designed to perform multiple functions across different COPD stages through interchangeable modules. The universal platform includes standardized interfaces for sieve modules, batteries, and control systems, allowing one base unit to support various configurations rather than requiring separate models for each disease stage.
Solution Approach 2:
The device enables parameter adjustment through modular components with varying specifications. Different sieve modules provide different adsorbent capacities, and various battery packs offer different run times, allowing the same base unit to be configured for low-flow or high-flow requirements without changing the fundamental device architecture, thereby simplifying manufacturing.
3Productivity
If concentrator size is increased to provide higher oxygen flow rates, then oxygen delivery capability improves, but patient portability and compliance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The concentrator system is segmented into a base unit and removable add-on modules. High-flow capability is achieved not by enlarging the base unit but by adding specialized modules such as larger sieve modules or dual battery packs, allowing patients to maintain portability while accessing higher flow rates when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
Modular components are designed to nest within or attach to the base concentrator unit. Sieve modules, battery packs, and other components can be stored within the device housing or attached externally, enabling patients to carry the full-capacity device when needed while having the option to use a lighter configuration for less demanding situations.
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 modular design enhances patient compliance by providing a lightweight, adaptable oxygen supply that can be easily upgraded, reducing costs and complexity for both patients and manufacturers, while maintaining consistent performance across different stages of COPD progression.
Implementation Method 1
The Nitrogen is removed from ambient air by a process called pressure swing adsorption ('PSA'). The PSA process uses a material called zeolite, which has a greater affinity for Nitrogen than for Oxygen.
Implementation Method 2
Containers of zeolite are first pressurized so the nitrogen can be adsorbed onto the zeolite crystal structure
Data Source
AI summary
A configurable oxygen concentrator for providing various flow rates and volumes of concentrated oxygen to a patient includes an electro-mechanical assembly having a housing with a first face, a second face and an outer surface. The oxygen concentrator also includes a first battery, a second battery, a first adsorbent container and a second adsorbent container. The first and second batteries are removably mountable to the first face and the first and second adsorbent containers are removably mountable to the second face to permit modification of the concentrated oxygen capacity and operating life of the concentrator as the patient progresses through different stages of a breathing disease. The first battery has a first battery capacity that is less than a second battery capacity of the second battery. The first adsorbent container has a first adsorbent capacity that is less than a second adsorbent capacity of the second adsorbent container.