Respiratory Gas Line Coupling for Disconnection Alarm Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing gas delivery devices for therapeutic gases in hospitals are prone to undetected disconnections of long gas and pressure supply lines, posing a risk to patients due to continued operation without actual gas delivery.
Innovation Solution
A gas supply installation with a connection device and filtration module that includes a flexible main body with fastening means, ensuring simultaneous disconnection of both gas and pressure supply lines, triggering an alarm when pressure drops below a threshold, using a microprocessor-based control unit to manage gas flow and detect disconnections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If long gas supply line and pressure supply line (at least 4 meters) are used to accommodate hospital environment, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to risk of disconnection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the gas supply line connection and pressure supply line connection into a single integrated connection device. When this device disconnects, both lines disconnect simultaneously, ensuring that pressure measurements accurately reflect gas supply status. This resolves the reliability issue by eliminating the scenario where pressure continues despite gas supply interruption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses pressure measurements from the pressure supply line as feedback to monitor gas supply status. The control unit continuously compares measured pressure against reference values to detect disconnections. This feedback mechanism allows immediate detection of line disconnections, resolving the reliability problem while maintaining ease of operation with long lines.
2Measurement precision
If pressure supply line remains connected while gas supply line disconnects, then measurement precision is maintained, but harmful factors increase due to undetected gas supply interruption
Solution Approach 1:
The integrated connection device ensures that gas supply line and pressure supply line connections are coupled. Disconnection of one automatically causes disconnection of the other, preventing the harmful scenario where pressure measurements continue despite gas supply interruption. This maintains measurement precision only when gas supply is actually delivered.
Solution Approach 2:
The system preemptively prevents the harmful effect by designing the connection device so that pressure supply line disconnection occurs simultaneously with gas supply line disconnection. This preliminary coupling action eliminates the possibility of false pressure readings continuing after gas supply interruption, addressing the harmful factor before it can occur.
3Device complexity
If separate connection points for gas and pressure lines are used, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability deteriorates due to independent disconnection risk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the connection mechanisms for gas supply line and pressure supply line into a single integrated connection device with coupled disconnection. This increases device complexity slightly but dramatically improves reliability by ensuring both lines disconnect together, eliminating the reliability problem of independent disconnection.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection device creates an equipotential relationship between gas supply line connection and pressure supply line connection - they are at the same connection potential, meaning they either remain connected or disconnect together. This equipotential coupling ensures reliability while maintaining reasonable device complexity through integrated design.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a respiratory gas supply system (50) for a patient (P), comprising a gas delivery device (1), a respiratory mask (10), a gas supply line (13) for conveying the respiratory gas from the gas delivery device (1) to the mask (10), and a pressure supply line (16) for bringing the gas pressure from the mask (10) to the gas delivery device (1). A gas filtration module (40), comprising at least one filter, is arranged between the gas delivery device (1) and the gas supply line (13). A connecting device (2) establishes fluid communication between the pressure supply line (16) and the gas delivery device (1), and fastening means (24, 25) secure the connecting device (2) to the gas filtration module (13).