Patient Module Ventilation with Piezo Valve and Local Sensor
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ventilator systems require complex setups and maintenance, making it difficult to replace or clean patient modules without specialized technicians, and the quality of sensor signals is compromised due to distance and tubing effects.
Innovation Solution
A patient module that is pneumatically connected to a pressure source, featuring a piezo-driven valve system with exhalation and inhalation valves, allowing for easy detachment and replacement, and incorporating a sensor mechanism close to the patient for improved signal quality, with a control device that can be separate or integrated for operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the patient module is integrated into a complex ventilator system, then the ventilation functionality is complete, but the device complexity increases and replacement becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The ventilator system is divided into separate functional modules: a reusable control unit and a disposable patient module. The patient module contains the patient interface, sensor mechanism, and breathing circuit, while the control unit houses the control device. This segmentation allows the patient module to be easily replaced without affecting the control unit, solving the contradiction between ease of replacement and system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patient module is extracted as a separate, self-contained unit that can be detached and replaced independently. By taking out the patient-specific components (interface, sensors, circuit) from the main ventilator system, the design enables simple replacement by non-technical personnel while maintaining the complexity of the control system in a separate, reusable unit.
2Measurement precision
If sensor mechanisms are placed far from the patient or connected via long tubing, then the system structure is simplified, but the quality of sensor signals deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor mechanism is placed locally within the patient module, close to the patient's airways. This local positioning ensures high-quality sensor signals by minimizing the distance and tubing effects between the sensor and the patient, while the modular design prevents this from increasing overall system complexity.
3Ease of repair
If the patient module is designed for easy replacement, then non-technical personnel can perform maintenance, but the integration of control functions becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patient module is designed as a disposable component that can be easily replaced by non-technical personnel. Instead of making the entire ventilator disposable or requiring complex maintenance procedures, the invention uses a cost-effective disposable patient module containing the patient interface, sensor mechanism, and breathing circuit, while the expensive control unit remains reusable.
Solution Approach 2:
The patient module acts as an intermediary between the patient and the control unit. It contains the sensor mechanism that measures breathing parameters and transmits this information to the control device, while also receiving control signals for valve actuation. This intermediary role allows the control functions to remain integrated in the reusable unit while enabling easy replacement of the patient-specific components.
Data Source
AI summary
A patient module (20) is intended for use together with a pressure source (12). The patient module (20) couples the pressure source (12) for flow to a patient interface (14) that can be connected to the airways of a patient. The patient module (20) includes at least one valve device (30), which can be controlled by means of a piezo pump, which acts as a valve drive (34) and can preferably be operated at a high frequency. The at least one valve device (30) acts as an exhalation valve (28).