Bidirectional NO Flow Control for Vibration-Stable Transport Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing NO delivery apparatuses are sensitive to environmental disturbances such as shocks and vibrations during transport, leading to signal saturation and poor regulation of NO flowrates, posing a risk to patient safety.
Innovation Solution
Incorporation of a bidirectional flowrate sensor in the NO delivery apparatus to measure both positive and negative flowrates, allowing for accurate regulation of NO flowrates despite vibrations, combined with a proportional solenoid valve and operating means to control the flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a sensitive flowrate sensor is used to precisely regulate NO flowrate between a few ml/min and 10 l/min, then measurement precision is improved, but the sensor becomes overly sensitive to environmental disturbances such as shocks and vibrations during transport
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic compensation by continuously monitoring vibration levels through accelerometers and dynamically adjusting the flowrate sensor's measurement threshold or filtering parameters. This allows the system to maintain precise flowrate measurement during transport by adapting to changing vibration conditions in real-time, rather than using fixed sensitivity settings.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces vibration sensors (accelerometers) as intermediary devices that detect environmental disturbances and provide compensation signals to the flowrate measurement system. These intermediary sensors act as mediators between the harmful vibrations and the flowrate sensor, allowing the system to distinguish between actual flowrate changes and vibration-induced noise.
2Productivity
If the flowrate sensor is made more sensitive to detect low flowrates, then productivity is improved through better dosage control, but reliability deteriorates due to signal saturation from environmental disturbances
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where vibration sensor data is continuously fed back to the control system, which then adjusts the flowrate measurement interpretation. When vibrations are detected, the system compensates by adjusting measurement thresholds or applying filtering algorithms, ensuring that dosage control precision is maintained without signal saturation during transport.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically changes measurement parameters such as threshold levels, integration times, or filtering coefficients based on detected vibration conditions. This allows the system to maintain reliable operation across different transport scenarios by adapting parameters rather than using fixed settings, preserving both productivity and reliability.
3Reliability
If environmental disturbances are filtered out to improve signal stability, then reliability is improved, but measurement precision deteriorates due to loss of genuine flowrate variations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses dynamic filtering where the filtering strength is adjusted in real-time based on vibration detection. During high-vibration transport conditions, stronger filtering is applied to maintain reliability, while during stable conditions, filtering is reduced to preserve measurement precision. This dynamic approach prevents loss of genuine flowrate variations while maintaining signal stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the signal processing into multiple stages: raw signal acquisition, vibration detection, conditional filtering, and final measurement. By segmenting the processing chain, the system can apply different processing strategies to different signal components, preserving genuine flowrate variations while filtering out vibration-induced noise.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to an apparatus (1) for delivering NO-containing gas, comprising an internal gas circuit (200) with flowrate control means (220, 230, 240) for controlling the flow of gas, in particular a proportional solenoid valve (220) and a flowrate measurement device (230). Operating means (210) cooperate with the flowrate control means (220, 230, 240) to authorize, prohibit or adjust the flowrate of gas within the gas circuit (200). The flowrate measurement device (230) comprises a bidirectional flowrate sensor configured to perform positive and negative flowrate measurements of the NO-containing gas flow circulating in the gas circuit (200), and to supply said flowrate measurements to the operating means (210). Installation (100) for supplying NO-containing gas, comprising such an NO delivery apparatus (1).