Portable oxygen concentration
Inventors
Koerber, Achim Gerhard Rolf • Hilbig, Rainer • Dickerson, Brian Edward • Murdoch, Robert William • Whitcher, Douglas Adam
Assignees
Koninklijke Philips NV • Harvard Apparatus Regenerative Technology Inc
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Publication Number
US-11351326-B2
Publication Date
2022-06-07
Expiration Date
Abstract
The present disclosure describes a system and method for maintaining oxygen purity in portable oxygen concentrators, even with asymmetric generation of oxygen enriched gas volumes from different sieve beds of the concentration system. The present system and method compensate for asymmetric oxygen enriched gas generation using asymmetric delivery of purge volumes. Purge valves are used to deliver the asymmetric purge gas volumes, enables the system to maintain oxygen purity without additional power consumption, even when a portable oxygen concentrator does not include a product tank. The present system and method are configured such that asymmetry in enriched oxygen generation can be monitored and the asymmetric purge gas compensation can be applied independently from other control mechanisms of a portable oxygen concentrator.
Core Innovation
A portable oxygen concentration system uses a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) process with a pair of sieve beds that alternately produce enriched gas and purge. A pressure generator directs pressurized gas through the sieve beds, and valves control gas flow into and out of the pair of sieve beds during the enriched gas production and purge cycles.
One or more sensors generate output signals conveying information related to respiration of the subject. One or more processors, by machine readable instructions, cause the valves to control gas flow into and out of the sieve beds based on these respiration-related output signals, and determine whether this control results in a volume of enriched gas produced by one sieve bed being different from the volume produced by the other sieve bed.
Responsive to determining that the enriched-gas volumes differ, the processors determine different purge volumes of gas for the sieve beds based on the different enriched-gas volumes. The processors then cause the valves to control the purge cycles of the PSA process based on the different purge volumes determined for the sieve beds, so that the PSA operation compensates for the volume difference between sieve beds.
Claims Coverage
The document includes two independent claims, one system claim and one method claim, each centered on compensating asymmetric enriched-gas production between two PSA sieve beds by using respiration-related sensor signals to control valves and to select different purge volumes when enriched-gas volumes differ. Across the independent claims, the inventive features are respiration-based valve control, enriched-gas volume difference determination, and purge-volume-based correction for the pair of sieve beds.
Respiration-related sensor signals for valve control of PSA cycles
One or more sensors generate output signals conveying information related to respiration of the subject, and one or more processors are configured by machine readable instructions to cause the valves to control gas flow into and out of the pair of sieve beds during the enriched gas production and purge cycles of the PSA process based on the output signals.
Detecting enriched-gas volume difference between the sieve beds
The one or more processors determine whether causing the valves to control the gas flow into and out of the pair of sieve beds based on the output signals caused a volume of enriched gas produced by one sieve bed to be different than a volume of enriched gas produced by the other sieve bed.
Purging with different purge volumes based on the enriched-gas volume difference
Responsive to determining that the volume of enriched gas produced by one sieve bed is different than the volume produced by the other sieve bed, the one or more processors determine different purge volumes of gas for the sieve beds based on the different volumes of enriched gas produced by the sieve beds and cause the valves to control the purge cycles of the PSA process based on the different purge volumes.
Generating pressurized gas and PSA enriched gas with alternating production and purge cycles controlled by valves
The method generates, with the pressure generator, pressurized gas directed through the sieve beds and outputs enriched gas for delivery to a subject from a PSA process having alternating enriched gas production and purge cycles such that when one sieve bed is alternating through an enriched gas production cycle, the other sieve bed is alternating through a purge cycle, with controlling the gas flow into and out of the pair of sieve beds during the cycles.
Respiration-signal-based determination and purge-volume control in the PSA method
The method causes the valves to control the gas flow into and out of the pair of sieve beds during the enriched gas production and purge cycles based on the respiration-related output signals; determines whether the enriched-gas volume produced by one sieve bed is different than that produced by the other sieve bed; and, responsive thereto, determines different purge volumes of gas for the sieve beds and causes the valves to control the purge cycles based on the different purge volumes.
In both independent claims, the central inventive approach is to use respiration-related sensor output signals to control valve operation in a portable PSA oxygen concentration system with two alternating sieve beds, detect when the enriched-gas production volumes of the two beds differ, and respond by determining different purge volumes for the sieve beds and controlling the purge cycles accordingly.
Stated Advantages
Maintaining oxygen purity of enriched gas delivered by compensating for differences in enriched-gas volume between the sieve beds using different purge volumes.
Documented Applications
Delivery of enriched gas to a subject using a portable oxygen concentration system and a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) process.
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