Patent Application
20220331545
The present invention relates to a humidification device that humidifies a feed gas which is to be fed to a user, and a respiratory assistance device including the humidification device.
Automatic ventilation devices designed to regulate or assist ventilation by connecting to users' respiratory tracts are widely used in medical practice, which include respiratory assistance devices to be used for continuous positive airway pressure therapy (nasal CPAP), a treatment for sleep apnea syndrome.
Continuously feeding a dry gas to a user's respiratory tract can cause discomfort to the user, and in some cases can even trigger damage to the respiratory tract. Therefore, the respiratory assistance device is connected to a humidification device that adds moisture to a feed gas.
Conventional humidification devices used in respiratory assistance devices usually adopt a method in which a heating element (heater plate) heats an entire body of water in a reservoir and vaporizes the water (see, for example, PCT Patent Application Publication No. WO/2007/019625, Japanese Translation No. 2009-504277).
More specifically, the feed gas flowing from the feed gas inlet 115 contains water vapor which has been vaporized from a surface of the liquid (water) 155 within a humidification space 145. After being humidified, the feed gas is sent from the feed gas outlet 120 through the respiratory circuit to the respiratory tract of the user U. At this time, the outlet temperature of the feed gas is measured by a feed gas outlet temperature measurement unit 140, and power which is to be inputted to the heating element 150 is controlled so that appropriate temperature and humidity are achieved in the respiratory tract of the user U.
Patent Literature 1: Japanese Translation of PCT Patent Application Publication No. 2009-504277
However, in the technology described in Patent Literature 1, the temperature of the water in the entire reservoir must be increased to generate a sufficient amount of water vapor. Therefore, energy consumption is high and the time necessary until humidification becomes possible is lengthened. It is also difficult to reduce the size of the device because a large amount of hot water has to be stored. In addition, since a large amount of hot water needs to be stored, there is a great risk of the hot water leaking when the humidification device tips over, resulting in scald to the user or the like. In the future, the respiratory assistance devices are expected to be used more often in home medical care, and in such cases, it is inconvenient for family members other than medical personnel to handle such devices.
The present invention was made in consideration of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to provide a humidification device that can be made smaller in size and lighter in weight, and that can quickly and sufficiently humidify a gas without heating an entire body of water to be stored, as well as a respiratory assistance device.
(1) The present invention provides a humidification device that includes a case which contains a humidification space in which water vapor is introduced to a feed gas to be fed to a user where a heating unit configured to acquire electric energy using an electromagnetic induction phenomenon to generate heat is disposed in the humidification space, the humidification device further including a coil configured to transfer energy to the heating unit by the electromagnetic induction phenomenon; an insulating unit configured to spatially separate the heating unit and the coil to prevent electrical contact therebetween; and a liquid supply unit configured to supply, to the heating unit, a liquid to be vaporized into the water vapor.
According to the invention described in (1) above, it is possible to configure the humidification device in which a humidification unit configured to vaporize the liquid (water) into water vapor, i.e., the heating unit, and an energy supply unit configured to supply energy to the heating unit, i.e., the coil can be spatially separated from each other. Therefore, since only the humidification unit, which contains moisture and may cause problems such as easy generation of bacteria, can be replaced with a new one, it is possible to achieve the excellent effect of facilitating maintenance.
(2) The present invention provides the humidification device described in (1) above, in which the liquid supply unit supplies the liquid so as to maintain a state in which the liquid does not accumulate in the vicinity of the heating unit.
According to the invention described in (2) above, since the liquid (water) does not accumulate inside the humidification device, it is possible to achieve the excellent effect of making it easier to maintain a good hygiene condition with less chance of bacterial growth.
(3) The present invention provides the humidification device described in (1) or (2) above, in which the heating unit has a cylindrical shape, and the coil is disposed via the insulating unit.
According to the invention described in (3) above, since the coil, which applies energy to the heating unit using the electromagnetic induction phenomenon, and the heating unit are electrically insulated by the insulating unit, it is possible to achieve the excellent effect of reducing the possibility of an accident such as a short circuit.
(4) The present invention provides the humidification device described in (3) above, in which the insulating unit has a cylindrical shape and is disposed on an inner peripheral side of the heating unit, and the coil is disposed on an inner peripheral side of the insulating unit.
According to the invention described in (4) above, since the coil is disposed inside the cylindrical heating unit, it is possible to achieve the excellent effect of efficiently providing the energy from the coil to the heating unit using the electromagnetic induction phenomenon.
(5) The present invention provides the humidification device described in (4) above, in which the heating unit is disposed such that a central axis of the cylindrical shape of the heating unit is oriented in a non-vertical direction.
According to the invention described in (5) above, since it is easy to increase the surface area in which the heating unit comes into contact with the feed gas to be heated and humidified, it is possible to achieve the excellent effect of providing the humidification device that is compact in size and is capable of sufficient heating and humidification.
(6) The present invention provides the humidification device described in any one of (1) to (5) above, in which the heating unit is a metal porous body that contains metal and is formed into a porous shape.
The metal porous body has electrical conductivity. According to the invention described in (6) above, it is possible to achieve the excellent effect of generating resistive heat by a flow of electric current through the metal porous body from the coil by the electromagnetic induction phenomenon and thus efficiently vaporizing water.
(7) The present invention provides the humidification device described in any one of (1) to (6) above, in which the coil and the heating unit are magnetically coupled with each other by a magnetic material.
According to the invention described in (7) above, since the coil and the heating unit through which the electric current flows by electromagnetic induction are efficiently magnetically coupled with each other, it is possible to achieve the excellent effect of increasing energy transfer efficiency from the coil to the heating unit.
(8) The present invention provides a respiratory assistance device including the humidification device according to any one of (1) to (7) above.
According to the invention described in (8) above, it is possible to achieve the remarkably excellent effects of enabling the humidification device to be small in size and light in weight, and enabling quick and sufficient humidification without heating an entire body of water to be stored.
(9) The present invention provides a humidification device configured to humidify a feed gas to be fed to a user, the humidification device including: a heating unit configured to heat and vaporize a liquid to be used for humidifying the feed gas; a liquid supply unit configured to supply the liquid to the heating unit; a power supply configured to supply energy to the heating unit; an input power measurement unit configured to measure an input power to be inputted from the power supply to the heating unit; a heating control unit configured to control the input power by referring to a temperature in the humidification device or in a respiratory circuit connected to the humidification device; a target input power calculation unit configured to calculate a target input power, as a target, corresponding to a target heated and humidified state of the feed gas; and a liquid supply control unit configured to control a supply amount of the liquid on the basis of a difference value between the measured input power and the target input power.
According to the invention described in (9) above, it is possible to achieve extremely excellent effects of enabling high-speed heating and humidification control and humidification control with minimum liquid supply, by independently performing controlling the input power by referring to the temperature in the respiratory circuit connected to the humidification device, calculating the target input power, as a target, corresponding to the target heated and humidified state of the feed gas, and controlling the supply amount of the liquid on the basis of the difference value between the input power and the target input power.
(10) The present invention provides the humidification device described in (9) above, including: an outside temperature measurement unit configured to measure an outside temperature which is a temperature of an environment in which the user is present; an outside humidity measurement unit configured to measure an outside humidity which is a humidity of the environment in which the user is present; and a feed gas outlet temperature measurement unit provided in the vicinity of a feed gas outlet which is an outlet of the feed gas to be sent to the respiratory circuit, the feed gas outlet temperature measurement unit being configured to measure an outlet temperature which is a temperature of the feed gas to be sent to the respiratory circuit, wherein the heating control unit controls an input power to the heating unit on the basis of a difference value between the outlet temperature and a preset target temperature, and the target input power calculation unit calculates the target input power on the basis of at least values of the outside temperature, the outside humidity, and the outlet temperature.
According to the invention described in (10) above, since the input power to the heating unit is determined on the basis of environmental variables of the environment in which the user is present, it is possible to achieve the excellent effect of enabling quick and sufficient heating and humidification with minimum amounts of energy and liquid (water amount).
(11) The present invention is the humidification device described in (9) or (10) above, further including a liquid supply amount regulation unit configured to regulate a supply amount of the liquid by the liquid supply unit, in which the liquid supply control unit controls the liquid supply amount regulation unit.
According to the invention described in (11) above, since the liquid (water) can be supplied to the heating unit only in an amount required for heating and humidification, it is possible to eliminate the accumulation of the liquid water and prevent bacterial growth, which achieves the excellent effect of providing a humidification device which is also excellent in hygienic aspect.
(12) The present invention provides a respiratory assistance device including the humidification device described in any one of (9) to (11) above.
According to the invention described in (12) above, it is possible to achieve the excellent effect of enabling to provide a respiratory assistance device including the compact and lightweight humidification device that can perform quick heating and humidification with a minimum amount of liquid (water amount) and an optimum input power.
(13) The present invention provides a humidification method by a humidification device for humidifying a feed gas, the humidifier including: a heating unit configured to heat and vaporize a liquid to be used for humidifying the feed gas to be fed to a user; a liquid supply unit configured to supply the liquid to the heating unit; a power supply configured to supply energy to the heating unit; and an input power measurement unit configured to measure an input power to be inputted from the power supply to the heating unit, the humidification method including: a heating controlling step of controlling the input power by referring to a temperature in the humidification device or in a respiratory circuit connected to the humidification device; a target input power calculating step of calculating a target input power, as a target, corresponding to a target heated and humidified state of the feed gas; and a liquid supply controlling step of controlling a supply amount of the liquid on the basis of a difference value between the measured input power and the target input power.
According to the invention described in (13) above, it is possible to achieve extremely excellent effects of enabling high-speed heating and humidification control and humidification control with a minimum liquid supply, by independently performing controlling the input power by referring to the temperature in the respiratory circuit connected to the humidification device, calculating the target input power, as a target, corresponding to the target heated and humidified state of the feed gas, and controlling the liquid supply unit on the basis of the difference value between the input power and the target input power.
(14) The present invention provides the humidification method described in (13) above, in which the humidification device includes an outside temperature measurement unit configured to measure an outside temperature which is a temperature of an environment in which the user is present, an outside humidity measurement unit configured to measure an outside humidity which is a humidity of the environment in which the user is present, and a feed gas outlet temperature measurement unit provided in the vicinity of a feed gas outlet which is an outlet of the feed gas to be sent to the respiratory circuit, the feed gas outlet temperature measurement unit being configured to measure an outlet temperature which is a temperature of the feed gas to be sent to the respiratory circuit. Here, in the heating control step, an input power to the heating unit is controlled on the basis of a difference value between the outlet temperature and a preset target temperature, and in the target input power calculation step, the target input power is calculated on the basis of at least values of the outside temperature, the outside humidity, and the outlet temperature.
According to the invention described in (14) above, since the input power to the heating unit is determined on the basis of environmental variables of the environment in which the user is present, it is possible to achieve the excellent effect of enabling quick and sufficient heating and humidification with minimum amounts of energy and liquid (water amount).
(15) The present invention provides the humidification method described in (13) or (14) above, in which a liquid supply amount regulation unit configured to regulate a supply amount of the liquid by the liquid supply unit is further provided, and in the liquid supply controlling step, the liquid supply amount regulation unit is controlled.
According to the invention described in (15) above, since the liquid (water) can be supplied to the heating unit only in an amount required for heating and humidification, it is possible to eliminate the accumulation of the liquid water and prevent bacterial growth, which achieves the excellent effect of providing a humidification device which is also excellent in hygienic aspect.
(16) The present invention provides a respiratory assistance method including the humidification method described in any one of (13) to (15) above.
According to the invention described in (16) above, it is possible to achieve extremely excellent effects of enabling high-speed heating and humidification control and humidification control with a minimum liquid supply, by independently performing controlling the input power by referring to the temperature in the respiratory circuit connected to the humidification device, calculating the target input power, as a target, corresponding to the target heated and humidified state of the feed gas, and controlling the liquid supply unit on the basis of the difference value between the input power and the target input power.
The humidification device, the respiratory assistance device, and the humidification method according to claims 1 to 16 of the present invention have beneficial effects of realizing a humidification device that is easy to perform maintenance, hygienic, compact in size, light in weight, and capable of quick heating and humidification, and a respiratory assistance device including such a humidification device.
An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The blower 10 draws air from an inlet 40 and feeds the air into a humidification device 30. The medical gas supplied from the medical gas cylinder 13 is also fed into the humidification device 30. In other words, the feed gas may be a mixed gas of the air drawn from the inlet 40 and the medical gas.
The medical gas may be an oxygen gas, for example.
The humidification device 9 has a case 30, a power supply 29, an input power measurement unit 31 configured to measure an input power to be inputted from the power supply 29 to a heating unit (metal porous body) 59 (see
The location of this “outlet” is not specifically limited, and may be located anywhere downstream from the heating unit (metal porous body) 59.
The power which is to be inputted from the power supply 29 is to be directly sent to a coil 57, but the electric energy is inputted to the heating unit (metal porous body) 59 (see
The heating unit 59 is a metal porous body with a porous structure containing metal. The heating unit (metal porous body) 59 may have a mesh structure made of pressed metal fibers.
The control device 21 includes a heating control unit 15 configured to control the input power by referring to a temperature within the humidification device 9 or within the respiratory circuit 5 connected to the humidification device 9, a target input power calculation unit 17 configured to calculate a target input power, as a target, corresponding to a target heated and humidified state of the feed gas, and a liquid supply control unit 19 configured to control the amount of liquid (see
The outside environmental variable measurement unit 27 has an outside temperature measurement unit 23 configured to measure the temperature of an environment in which the respiratory assistance device 1 is installed, and an outside humidity measurement unit 25 configured to measure the humidity of the environment in which the respiratory assistance device 1 is installed. The outside temperature measurement unit 23 may be, for example, a resistance thermometer. The outside humidity measurement unit 25 may be, for example, a bimetal type, or a digital type hygrometer which uses a moisture sensing agent and comb electrodes.
The control device 21 is constituted of a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, and the like, and performs various types of control. The CPU is a so-called central processing unit, and executes various programs to realize various functions. The RAM is used as a work area and a storage area for the CPU, and the ROM stores an operating system and the programs to be executed by the CPU.
The control device 21 may control the operation of the entire respiratory assistance device 1.
The humidification device 9 includes the case 30 which contains the humidification space 49 in which the water vapor is introduced to the feed gas to be fed to the user U. The heating unit 59, the coil 57, and the insulating unit 61 are disposed in the humidification space 49. In addition, there is a liquid supply unit 63 (see
Specifically, the heating unit (metal porous body) 59 has a cylindrical shape with a perfect circular cross section. The heating unit (metal porous body) 59 contains metal and has electrical conductivity as a whole, while having sufficient electrical resistance so as to generate heat when electric current induced by electromagnetic induction from the coil 57 flows therethrough. The coil 57 is made of a metal wire wound in a spiral shape and is disposed along the outer periphery of the ferrite 55. The coil 57 has high electrical conductivity. The insulating unit 61 is disposed between the heating unit (metal porous body) 59 and the coil 57 to electrically insulate the heating unit (metal porous body) 59 and the coil 57 from each other. The insulating unit 61 also serves as an isolation wall that spatially isolates the coil 57 from the liquid (water) supplied from the liquid supply device 68 to the heating unit (metal porous body) 59 and the vapor from the liquid. The insulating unit 61 may be made of glass or a synthetic resin.
The coil 57 is disposed in the inner periphery of the heating unit 59 via the insulating unit 61.
The insulating unit 61 has a cylindrical shape, and is disposed on an inner peripheral side of the heating unit 59, where the coil 57 is disposed on an inner peripheral side of the insulating unit 61.
The heating unit 59 may be disposed such that a central axis of the cylindrical shape of the heating unit 59 is oriented in a non-vertical direction. An aspect in which the central axis is horizontal is described here as a basic posture, but the advantage of this humidification device is that humidification and heating can be performed even when the posture is changed.
In this variation, the ferrite 55 is provided on the inner peripheral side of the coil 57 to increase the magnetic coupling between the heating unit (metal porous body) 59 and the coil 57. Part of the case 30 may perform the function of the insulating unit 61 (see
The input power to the coil 57 is applied from the power supply 29 through a power supply line 69. The power supply 29 is controlled by the heating control unit 15. The value of the power being applied is measured in real time by the input power measurement unit.
The liquid (water) is supplied from the liquid supply device 68 to the heating unit (metal porous body) 59. Specifically, the liquid (water) is supplied from a liquid storage unit 67 through the liquid supply unit 63 to the heating unit (metal porous body) 59. The liquid (water) is supplied gradually from an end of the liquid supply unit 63 to an inner peripheral surface of the heating unit (metal porous body) 59. The liquid supply unit 63 is tubular, and it is desirable that the end of the liquid supply unit 63 is disposed along the inner peripheral surface of the heating unit (metal porous body) 59. A supply amount of the liquid (water) is regulated by a liquid supply amount regulation unit 65, which may be, for example, a piezoelectric pump. The liquid supply amount regulation unit 65 is controlled by the liquid supply control unit 19 (see
The liquid supply unit 19 supplies the liquid so as to maintain a state in which the liquid does not accumulate in the vicinity of the heating unit 59. That is, the liquid is supplied to the extent not exceeding a maximum amount of the liquid that can be vaporized by the heating unit (metal porous body) 59.
In this variation, in order to close a magnetic circuit between a heating unit (metal porous body) 59 and a coil 57 as much as possible and increase magnetic coupling, a U-shaped ferrite 55 is provided. Part of a case 30 may perform the function of an insulating unit 61 (see
An input power to the coil 57 is applied from a power supply 29 through a power supply line 69. The power supply 29 is controlled by a heating control unit 15. The value of the power being applied is measured in real time by an input power measurement unit.
A liquid (water) is supplied from a liquid storage unit 67 through a liquid supply unit 63 to the heating unit (metal porous body) 59. The supply amount of the liquid (water) is controlled by a liquid supply amount regulation unit 65, which may be, for example, a piezoelectric pump. The liquid supply amount regulation unit 65 is controlled by a liquid supply control unit 19 (see
The liquid supply unit 19 supplies the liquid so as to maintain a state in which the liquid does not accumulate in the vicinity of the heating unit 59. The supply of the liquid to the heating unit (metal porous body) 59 is the same as in the case of
In a state of heating and humidifying, the energy supply unit 73 including the ferrite 55 and the coil 57 is disposed in a recess of the case 30, which contains the heating unit (metal porous body) 59 therein, and the coil 57 and the heating unit (metal porous body) 59 together form the magnetic circuit to enable heating of the heating unit (metal porous body) 59 by an electromagnetic induction phenomenon (see the left drawing of
Since the liquid (water) is supplied to the humidification unit 71, bacteria may occur and accordingly periodic replacement is desirable. Since the case 30 can be easily separated into the energy supply unit 73 and the humidification unit 71, replacement of just the humidification unit 71 with a new one is possible, which makes maintenance easy.
This variation has the effect of enabling control of temperature and humidity independently.
In this variation, the warming unit 75 is located upstream and the humidification unit 77 is located downstream of the gas supply, but to the contrary, the humidification unit 77 may be located upstream and the warming unit 75 may be located downstream of the gas supply.
In addition, the liquid may be supplied to the warming unit 75 as well as to the humidification unit 77, so that the warming unit 75 may simultaneously heat and humidify the feed gas along with the humidification unit 77.
In general, in the respiratory assistance device 1, it is desirable that the feed gas to be sent into the nasal and oral cavities of the user U have temperatures and relative humidity values determined in advance by a doctor, for example, a temperature of 37° C. and a relative humidity of 100%. However, when the feed gas has achieved the above-described determined values at the feed gas outlet 35 of the humidification device 9, the temperature of the feed gas decreases due to heat loss as well as relative humidity, while the feed gas is being sent through the respiratory circuit 5. The degree of heat loss varies depending on an environmental temperature.
Therefore, it is necessary to calculate a target temperature and a target humidity (target absolute humidity) of the feed gas at the feed gas outlet 35 by taking into account environmental variables of an environment in which the respiratory assistance device 1 is placed, i.e., an outside temperature, an outside humidity, and the degree of heat loss in the respiratory circuit 5, and to determine the input power from the power supply 29 and the supply amount of the liquid (water) so as to achieve the target temperature and the target humidity.
Here, in the humidification device 9 in the respiratory assistance device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the target input power calculation unit 17 calculates the target input power by taking into account power required to vaporize water in the heating unit (metal porous body) 59 when the water required to achieve the target absolute humidity is supplied.
Specifically, the humidification device 9 in the respiratory assistance device 1 according to this embodiment is a humidification device configured to humidify a feed gas to be fed to a user U. The humidification device 9 includes the heating unit 59 configured to heat and vaporize a liquid to be used for humidifying the feed gas, the liquid supply unit 63 configured to supply the liquid to the heating unit 59, the power supply 29 configured to supply energy to the heating unit 59, the input power measurement unit 31 configured to measure an input power to be inputted from the power supply 29 to the heating unit 59, the heating control unit 15 configured to control the input power by referring to a temperature in the humidification device 9 or in the respiratory circuit 5 connected to the humidification device 9, the target input power calculation unit 17 configured to calculate a target input power, as a target, corresponding to the target heated and humidified state of the feed gas, and the liquid supply control unit 19 configured to control a supply amount of the liquid on the basis of a difference value between the measured input power and the target input power.
The humidification device 9 in the respiratory assistance device 1 according to this embodiment includes the outside temperature measurement unit 23 configured to measure an outside temperature which is the temperature of an environment in which the user U is present, the outside humidity measurement unit 25 configured to measure an outside humidity which is the humidity of the environment in which the user U is present, and the feed gas outlet temperature measurement unit 7 provided in the vicinity of the feed gas outlet 35 which is an outlet of the feed gas to be sent to the respiratory circuit 5 (see
Furthermore, in the humidification device 9 in the respiratory assistance device 1 according to this embodiment, the liquid supply control unit 19 controls the supply amount of the liquid to the heating unit 59 from the liquid supply amount control unit 65, which varies the supply amount of the liquid.
First, a feed gas outlet temperature (hereinafter abbreviated as “outlet temperature”) is measured by the feed gas outlet temperature measurement unit 7 (see
Through the above-described feedback control, the input power is always controlled so that the feed gas outlet temperature remains stable at the target temperature.
The control of the input power by the heating control unit 15 may be PID control that controls, for example, a current value. It is desirable that the specific power control be PWM control.
First, an outside temperature is measured by the outside temperature measurement unit 23 (see
By constantly regressing the above-described operation, an optimum target input power can be calculated and set in real time.
First, an input power to the heating unit (metal porous body) 59 is measured by the input power measurement unit 31 (step T1). Next, whether there is a difference between the current input power and a current target input power is determined (step T2). In a case where there is no difference, the liquid supply control unit 19 controls the liquid supply amount regulation unit 65 (see
As a result of the above-described feedback control of the supply amount of the liquid, the input power is controlled to stabilize at the target input power.
In the humidification device 9 in the respiratory assistance device 1 according to this embodiment, the control illustrated in
In the control of the humidification device 9 in the respiratory assistance device 1 according to the present invention illustrated in
The humidification device 9 in the respiratory assistance device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention can be configured to spatially separate the humidification unit 71 configured to vaporize the liquid (water) into water vapor, i.e., the heating unit 59, and the energy supply unit 73 configured to supply the energy to the heating unit 59, i.e., the coil 57. Therefore, since only the humidification unit 71, which contains moisture and may cause problems such as easy generation of bacteria, can be replaced with a new one, it is possible to achieve the excellent effect of facilitating maintenance.
According to the humidification device 9 in the respiratory assistance device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, since the liquid (water) does not accumulate inside the humidification device 9, it is possible to achieve the excellent effect of making it easier to maintain a good hygiene condition with less chance of bacterial growth.
According to the humidification device 9 in the respiratory assistance device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, since the coil 57, which applies energy to the heating unit 59 using the electromagnetic induction phenomenon, and the heating unit 59 are electrically insulated by the insulating unit 61, it is possible to achieve the excellent effect of reducing the possibility of an accident such as a short circuit.
According to the humidification device 9 in the respiratory assistance device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, since the coil 57 is disposed inside the cylindrical heating unit 59, it is possible to achieve the excellent effect of efficiently providing the energy from the coil 57 to the heating unit 59 using the electromagnetic induction phenomenon.
According to the humidification device 9 in the respiratory assistance device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, since it is easy to increase the surface area in which the heating unit 59 comes into contact with the feed gas to be heated and humidified, it is possible to achieve the excellent effect of providing the humidification device 9 that is compact in size and is capable of sufficient heating and humidification.
The metal porous body has electrical conductivity. According to the humidification device 9 in the respiratory assistance device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to achieve the excellent effect of generating resistive heat by a flow of electric current through the metal porous body 59 from the coil 57 by the electromagnetic induction phenomenon and thus efficiently vaporizing water.
According to the humidification device 9 in the respiratory assistance device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, since the coil and the heating unit 59 through which the electric current flows by electromagnetic induction are efficiently magnetically coupled with each other, it is possible to achieve the excellent effect of increasing energy transfer efficiency from the coil 57 to the heating unit 59.
According to the humidification device 9 in the respiratory assistance device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to achieve the remarkably excellent effects of enabling the humidification device to be small in size and light in weight, and enabling quick and sufficient humidification without heating an entire body of water to be stored.
According to the humidification device 9 in the respiratory assistance device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to achieve extremely excellent effects of enabling high-speed heating and humidification control and humidification control with a minimum liquid supply, by independently performing controlling the input power by referring to the temperature in the respiratory circuit 5 connected to the humidification device 9, calculating the target input power, as a target, corresponding to the target heated and humidified state of the feed gas, and controlling the liquid supply amount regulation unit 65 on the basis of the difference value between the input power and the target input power.
According to the humidification device 9 in the respiratory assistance device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, since the input power to the heating unit 59 is determined on the basis of environmental variables of the environment in which the user U is present, it is possible to achieve the excellent effect of enabling quick and sufficient heating and humidification with minimum amounts of energy and liquid (water amount).
According to the humidification device 9 in the respiratory assistance device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, since the liquid (water) can be supplied to the heating unit 59 only in an amount required for heating and humidification, it is possible to eliminate the accumulation of the liquid water and prevent bacterial growth, which achieves the excellent effect of providing the humidification device which is also excellent in hygienic aspect.
According to the respiratory assistance device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to achieve the excellent effect of enabling to provide the respiratory assistance device including the compact and lightweight humidification device 9 that can perform quick heating and humidification with the minimum amount of liquid (water amount) and the optimum input power.
Note that, the humidification device and the respiratory assistance device according to the present invention are not limited to the embodiments described above, and as a matter of course, various modifications can be made within the scope of the present invention without departing from its gist.
1 respiratory assistance device
3 interface
5 respiratory circuit
7 feed gas outlet temperature measurement unit
9 humidification device
10 blower
13 medical gas cylinder
15 heating control unit
17 target input power calculation unit
19 liquid supply control unit
21 control device
23 outside temperature measurement unit
25 outside humidity measurement unit
27 outside environmental variable measurement unit
29 power supply
30 case
31 input power measurement unit
35 feed gas outlet
40 inlet
47 feed gas inlet
49 humidification space
50 humidifying and heating path
51 rectifying plate
55 ferrite
57 coil
59 heating unit (metal porous body)
61 insulating unit
63 liquid supply unit
65 liquid supply amount regulation unit
67 liquid storage unit
68 liquid supply device
69 power supply line
71 humidification unit
73 energy supply unit
75 warming unit
77 humidification unit
79 warming coil
81 humidification coil
83 warming heating unit
85 humidification heating unit
101 respiratory assistance device
105 humidification device
110 ventilator
115 feed gas inlet
120 feed gas outlet
125 expiratory side respiratory circuit
127 inspiratory side respiratory circuit
130 hose
135 interface
140 feed gas outlet temperature measurement unit
145 humidification space
150 heating element
155 liquid (water)
160 power supply
U user
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-182402 | Oct 2019 | JP | national |
| 2019-182403 | Oct 2019 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2020/037474 | 10/1/2020 | WO |
