Ventilator Controller Trigger Signal Suppression for COPD
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ventilators for patients with COPD diseases face malfunctions due to irregular respiratory gas signal disturbances, leading to unwanted reduction in expiration times and incorrect inspiration phase control, particularly challenging in detecting low volume flows at the start of expiration.
Innovation Solution
A ventilation device with a controller that generates a trigger signal suppression during the most probable interference time, using the first or second time derivative of the breathing gas flow signal to prevent incorrect signal evaluations, and adapts the blockage time based on signal evaluations to ensure a sufficient expiration phase, allowing for sensitive signal evaluation after disturbances.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If trigger signal detection is used to control inspiration phase start, then ventilation control adaptability is improved, but signal disturbances during expiration cause malfunction and unwanted reduction in expiration times
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the disturbed trigger signals during the critical early expiration period by implementing a blockage time mechanism. This prevents the problematic signals from being evaluated and causing incorrect inspiration phase initiation, while still allowing valid trigger signals to be detected after the blockage period expires.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary anti-action by proactively blocking trigger signal evaluation during the period when disturbances are most likely to occur (at the start of expiration). This preemptive measure prevents the harmful effect of false trigger signals before they can cause malfunction.
2Measurement precision
If sensitive signal evaluation is used to detect low volume flows in COPD patients, then detection precision is improved, but signal disturbances cause incorrect trigger signal generation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the problematic disturbed signals from the evaluation process by blocking trigger signal detection during the blockage time period. This allows sensitive evaluation to be applied to clean signals after the disturbance period, improving both precision and reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-defining and applying a blockage time filter before signal evaluation occurs. This ensures that only signals occurring after disturbances have subsided are subjected to sensitive evaluation, preventing incorrect trigger generation.
3Device complexity
If trigger signal suppression with fixed blockage time is applied, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability to different patient conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamics by making the blockage time adaptive rather than fixed. The blockage time is adjusted based on detected expiration characteristics, allowing the system to adapt to different patient conditions and disease states while maintaining relatively simple control logic.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies feedback by using detected expiration signal characteristics to dynamically adjust the blockage time parameter. This creates a closed-loop system that adapts to different patient conditions, improving versatility without significantly increasing overall device complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
The method involves leading an inhaled gas with a pressure given in advance to a patient interface from an inhaled gas pump, and providing certain pressure during an expiration phase by a respirator, where pressure during expiration phase is higher then pressure during inspiration phase. The expiration phase is accomplished for minimum expiration time. An independent claim is included for a device for artificial respiration.