Ventilator Dynamic Pump Noise and Pressure Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current ventilators face challenges in achieving accurate oxygen-air mixing and pressure targeting, particularly with the use of low-pressure dynamic pumps, which often result in inadequate oxygen content for patients requiring high oxygen levels and high pressure, and are noisy due to positive displacement pumps.
Innovation Solution
A ventilator design incorporating a dynamic pump, flow sensors, and a controller to modulate gas flow, ensuring accurate oxygen-air mixing and pressure targeting, with a mixing chamber and exhalation valve configuration to enhance accuracy and reduce noise.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stress or pressure
If positive displacement pumps (roots blowers, screw compressors, piston compressors, scroll compressors) are used to produce high pressure air, then high pressure and accurate air-oxygen mixing are achieved, but noise increases causing discomfort and disturbance to patients and support personnel
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces positive displacement mechanical pumps with a centrifugal dynamic pump to generate pressurized air. This substitution eliminates the noise associated with positive displacement pumps while maintaining the capability to produce high pressure air for accurate oxygen-air mixing and ventilation delivery.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If low pressure dynamic pumps are used, then noise output is reduced, but high pressure and air-oxygen mixing requirements are not met
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the operating parameters of the centrifugal pump to operate at higher speeds and with optimized impeller designs, enabling the low-pressure dynamic pump to achieve high pressure output (greater than 70 cmH2O) while maintaining low noise operation. This parameter optimization allows the pump to meet both low noise and high pressure requirements simultaneously.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If low flow oxygen is combined with low pressure air, then noise is reduced, but oxygen content requirements for certain patients are not met
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates flow sensors and pressure sensors that provide real-time feedback to a microprocessor controller. The controller uses this feedback to dynamically adjust the operation of the centrifugal pump and oxygen flow modulators, ensuring accurate delivery of oxygen content (up to 100% FiO2) while maintaining low pressure air delivery and low noise operation throughout the breathing cycle.
4Quantity of substance
If high pressure oxygen and low pressure air are combined, then high oxygen content is achieved, but pneumatic hardware and control algorithm accuracy for real-time mixing is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses flow sensors positioned in the air line and oxygen line, along with pressure sensors in the mixing chamber and airway, to provide continuous feedback to the microprocessor controller. This multi-point feedback system enables real-time monitoring and adjustment of gas flows, achieving superior mixing accuracy (within 5% FiO2) while delivering high oxygen content (up to 100% FiO2).
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex pneumatic hardware mixing systems with an electronically controlled system using a centrifugal pump and proportional flow modulators. This electronic control approach, guided by sensor feedback, achieves more accurate real-time mixing compared to traditional mechanical mixing methods, while maintaining the capability to deliver high oxygen content.
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 ventilator achieves precise oxygen-air mixing and pressure control, providing superior accuracy and reduced noise, making it suitable for patients with high oxygen requirements while being more compact and efficient.
Implementation Method 1
use a centrifugal pump, rather than a positive displacement pump, to pressurize the air to greater than 70 cmH2O
Implementation Method 2
a mixing chamber that combines the air and the oxygen into a mixed gas having an oxygen content between 21 percent and 100 percent FiO2
Implementation Method 3
an exhalation valve that allows the expiration gas to exit through the exhalation port proximal to the patient during an exhalation phase
Data Source
AI summary
A ventilator is configured to supply a gas mixture to the lungs of a subject. The gas mixture comprises a first gas (e.g. oxygen) and a second gas (e.g. ambient air). The ventilator comprise a first gas inlet, a second gas inlet, flow modulator of the first gas, a flow modulator of the second gas, a junction configured to mix the first gas and the second gas, a patient interface configured to deliver the gas mixture to a subject, a pressure sensor, a plurality of flow sensors comprising at least a first flow sensor and a second flow sensor, and at least one controller configured for obtaining data from the pressure sensor and flow sensors and controlling the flow modulators to provide a gas mixture having a target pressure and a target oxygen content.