Ventilation Device Gas Mixing System Pneumatic Time Delay
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Solution Overview
Problem
Concentration fluctuations in mixed gases supplied to a breathing air line system in ventilators and anesthetic devices occur due to discontinuous dosing and suboptimal mixing, leading to undesirable variations in the inspiratory gas concentration for patients.
Innovation Solution
A ventilator or anesthetic device with a gas mixing system featuring a mixed gas tank equipped with two inlet openings for separate gas supply and two outlet openings for separate gas discharge, where the mixed gases flow through mixed gas lines with different volumes to create a pneumatic time delay, ensuring consistent gas concentration in the breathing air line system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If discontinuous dosing is used to supply gases to the mixed gas tank, then gas delivery control is simplified, but concentration fluctuations occur in the mixed gas
Solution Approach 1:
The single outlet opening is divided into multiple outlet openings (at least two) that are spatially separated within the mixed gas tank. Each outlet opening has its own mixed gas line with different volumes, creating multiple parallel gas discharge paths that reduce concentration fluctuations by sampling from different local regions of the tank simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution transitions from a single-point discharge system to a multi-point spatial distribution system. By arranging outlet openings at different positions and assigning different volumes to mixed gas lines, the system exploits spatial dimensionality to compensate for temporal concentration fluctuations caused by discontinuous dosing.
2Device complexity
If suboptimal mixing occurs in the mixed gas tank, then device complexity is reduced, but local concentration fluctuations increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of implementing a complex active mixing system, the invention segments the discharge path into multiple outlet openings with different mixed gas line volumes. This passive segmentation allows the system to exploit natural concentration gradients and flow patterns to achieve more uniform mixed gas delivery without adding complex mixing mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The mixed gas lines with different volumes act as intermediaries between the mixed gas tank and the breathing air line system. These lines with varying volumes serve as buffer elements that mediate the concentration fluctuations, smoothing out local variations in gas concentration before the gas enters the breathing air line system.
3Stability of the object's composition
If multiple outlet openings are used to discharge mixed gas, then concentration fluctuations are compensated, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention changes the geometric parameters of the mixed gas lines (specifically their volumes) to achieve concentration compensation. By assigning different volumes to mixed gas lines connected to different outlet openings, the system creates pneumatic time delays that naturally synchronize with the discontinuous dosing cycle, smoothing concentration fluctuations without requiring complex control mechanisms.
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
This configuration effectively compensates for local and temporal concentration fluctuations within the mixed gas tank, maintaining a uniform gas concentration in the inspiratory gas supplied to the patient, thereby enhancing the reliability and consistency of anesthesia delivery.
Implementation Method 1
The at least two mixed gas lines have a different volume for a pneumatic time delay between the at least two outlet openings and the breathing air line system and/or the mixed gas collection line
Data Source
AI summary
A ventilator or anesthesia device for the artificial ventilation of a patient, comprising a gas supply device, at least one gas line for forming a breathing air supply system (14), at least one gas mixing device (1) with a mixed gas tank (2) and at least two inlet openings (7, 8) each with a shut-off device (3, 5) for the separate supply of at least two different gases to be mixed into the mixed gas tank and for the subsequent supply of the mixed gas into the breathing air supply system, wherein the mixed gas tank is provided with at least two separate outlet openings (9, 10) for the discharge of the mixed gas from the mixed gas tank and for the subsequent supply into the breathing air supply system.