Stackable Switching Valve Assembly for Multi-Cylinder Breathing Gas
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing switching valve assemblies for ventilators using bottle batteries are inefficient in utilizing individual bottle filling due to increased dead space and become unwieldy, limiting their use to stationary configurations and requiring complex assembly for configuration changes.
Innovation Solution
A modular, stackable switching valve assembly design that allows connection of any number of separate gas sources, enabling efficient gas supply and easy configuration changes by stacking identical units, with each unit having complementary outer surface sections for seamless engagement and sealing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If cylinder banks are used to supply breathing gas, then the supply duration is extended, but the dead space increases and gas utilization efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the cylinder bank into multiple independent cylindrical containers, each with its own valve arrangement. This allows individual cylinders to be activated or deactivated independently, reducing dead space by only connecting the necessary number of cylinders rather than interconnecting all cylinders in the bank through fan-shaped lines.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If cylinder banks with multiple cylinders are connected to extend supply duration, then the system becomes unwieldy and complex assembly work is required for configuration changes
Solution Approach 1:
The valve arrangement is designed to be dynamically adjustable between different operating states, allowing the system to adapt its configuration. The valve bodies can be shifted to activate different gas supply lines corresponding to different cylindrical containers, enabling flexible reconfiguration without complex assembly work.
3Ease of manufacture
If fixed configuration of switch valve assembly is used, then manufacturing is simplified, but adaptability to different numbers of gas sources is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The valve arrangement is designed with universal functionality to handle different numbers of gas sources (two, three, or four cylindrical containers) using the same basic structure. The valve bodies can be positioned in different operating states to accommodate various configurations, eliminating the need for different fixed designs for different container numbers.
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
The modular design ensures efficient gas supply from multiple sources, reduces dead space, and allows for mobile operation while simplifying configuration changes, ensuring uninterrupted breathing gas delivery to patients.
Implementation Method 1
the exhaustion of one gas source leads to a decreasing gas pressure in the gas supply line connected to this gas source, so that the gas pressure of the other gas source, which then increases relative to the gas pressure of one gas source, causes the valve arrangement to be adjusted
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The present invention relates to a switching-valve assembly (10), which comprises: - a housing (12), having a first source port (26), a second source port (54) and an outlet port (18); - a first gas-supply line (60), which connects the first source port (26) to the outlet port (18); - a second gas-supply line (64), which connects the second source port (54) to the outlet port (18); - a valve arrangement (40, 42, 74, 76), which is accommodated in the housing (12) and can be adjusted between a first operating state, in which it opens the first gas-supply line (60) to allow respiratory gas to flow through and blocks the second gas-supply line (64), and a second operating state, in which it blocks the first gas-supply line (60) and opens the second gas-supply line (64) to allow respiratory gas to flow through. According to the invention, the switching-valve assembly (10) in the form of a modular switching-valve assembly (10) is designed to be stackable, by the housing (12) having a first outer-surface portion (24) for stacking and a second outer-surface portion (16) for stacking, which is designed to as to be complementary to the first outer-surface portion (24) for stacking, wherein a source port (26) is designed as a sequence port (26) such that, when the first and the second outer-surface portions (16, 24) for stacking are considered in stacked engagement with one another, proceeding from the outlet- and the sequence port (18, 26), gas-supply line portions (20, 28) extending into the housing (12) are each connected to a continuous gas-supply line region (30).