JPH0712921B2 - Humidifier and oxygen enriched gas supply device using the same - Google Patents

Description

Description: FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a gas humidifier having a specific structure, and an oxygen-enriched gas supply device using the humidifier. More specifically, the present invention provides an improved moisturizing group in which the amount of the filling liquid can be easily confirmed. In addition to the above, it is intended to provide an improved humidifier which can further moderate the degree of humidification and can be used continuously for a long period of time. The present invention also provides a device for supplying an oxygen-enriched gas having an increased humidity for medical use or other improvement or reinforcement of respiration.

<Prior Art> Conventionally, oxygen therapy has been performed for patients with respiratory diseases by providing oxygen from an oxygen cylinder, and recently, oxygen therapy using oxygen-enriched air obtained by concentrating oxygen in the air. Is being developed, the treatment method is becoming more popular.

In these oxygen therapies, when a gas such as oxygen or oxygen-enriched air is supplied to the patient's nasal cavity, the gas is usually supplied to a saturated vapor pressure to prevent dryness in the patient's nasal cavity. It has been devised to do so. That is, in the case of oxygen from an oxygen gas cylinder, liquid oxygen, etc., since the humidity is too low as it is, it is supplied to the patient after being humidified by passing, for example, a bubble type humidifier. Further, in order to obtain oxygen-enriched air, an adsorption-type oxygen enricher or a membrane-type oxygen enricher is used, but even in the case of this adsorption-type oxygen enricher, moisture is usually obtained in the oxygen-enriched air. The enriched air, which has been humidified using a humidifier because it is scarcely contained, is supplied to the patient.

However, the conventional humidifiers have a drawback that the amount of the filling liquid is difficult to understand. Furthermore, since the oxygen-enriched air and oxygen are humidified to a humidity of nearly 100%, the temperature drops in the tube that is circulated to supply it to the user's nasal cavity, etc., causing dew condensation and water droplets. However, there are problems such as discomfort caused by water droplets entering the user's nasal cavity and the like, and propagation of bacteria and the like in the tube. Also, since the amount of water filled in the humidifier is small, it cannot be used for a long period of time, and the humidifier must be removed and water is injected frequently at short intervals. there were. Furthermore, in the humidifier, the sound generated by the generation and destruction of bubbles is very loud, and it is a noise as a noise for users who use it for a long period of time, day or day, especially for patients with weak physical strength. It was often the cause.

<Object of the Invention> The present invention is intended to solve such problems. That is, an object of the present invention is to provide a humidifier in which the amount of filling liquid can be clearly seen, and an oxygen-enriched gas supply device including the humidifier. A further object of the present invention is to provide a humidifier that can perform an appropriate degree of humidification, and that can be used continuously for a long period of time and that produces a small noise during use.
And to provide a low-noise oxygen-enriched gas supply device. Still another object is to provide an oxygen-enriched gas supply device that incorporates a humidifier that is easy to install and remove.

<Structure of the Invention> As a result of earnest research to achieve the above object, the present invention was found by finding that a humidifier having a specific portion colored is very effective.

That is, the present invention is directed to a gas inlet, a humidified gas outlet, a receiver means that can be filled with water or an aqueous solution, a lid means, and an opening at a lower part inside the receiver means connected to the gas inlet. A gas humidifier having a conduit means having a portion, wherein at least a front surface of the receiver means is transparent, and the opening of the conduit means when the receiver means is filled with water or an aqueous solution. For substantially limiting the region where the bubbles of the gas rising from above rise to within a part of the receiving means, and accommodates a core means having an opening in at least a part of its upper part, Humidification characterized in that the child means has a colored portion which is substantially extended in a longitudinal direction of a region capable of being filled with water or an aqueous solution, and the color of the colored portion is different from the color of the front surface portion of the receiver means. Of oxygen-enriched gas with higher oxygen concentration and lower humidity than air In an oxygen-enriched gas supply device comprising: a raw means, a humidifier, and a supply means for using the humidified oxygen-enriched gas, the humidifier comprises: an inlet for the oxygen-enriched gas; An oxygen-enriched gas outlet, a receiver means filled with water or an aqueous solution, a lid means, and a conduit means connected to the oxygen-enriched gas inlet and having an opening at a lower part in the receiver means, At least the front surface of the receiving means is transparent, and when the receiving means is filled with water or an aqueous solution, a region where the gas bubbles rising from the opening of the conduit means rise is defined in the receiving means. A core means having an opening in at least a part of its upper part, the core means being substantially limited to a part of the An extended colored portion, the color of the colored portion being in front of the receiver means An oxygen-enriched gas supply device having a color different from that of a surface portion.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a preferred mode of the humidifier according to the present invention. That is, the humidifier shown in the same figure has a gas inlet 3, a humidified gas outlet 4, a receiver means 1 having a cylindrical side portion capable of being filled with water 10, a lid means 2, an inlet. 3 was provided with a conduit means 5 and an opening 6 consisting of a large number of pores provided at the tip thereof, and an upper opening 8 for limiting the ascending of bubbles 16 to a region 17 and for passing the gas. The core means 7 having a cylindrical side portion is a main component.

One of the characteristics of such a humidifier is that the core means 7 is colored in light blue or the like and the receiver means 1 is made colorless and transparent. By doing so, when filling water or the like, the core means in the filling portion appears to expand, so that an excellent effect that the water level can be seen at a glance can be obtained. Although the coloring of the core means may be only a strip shape that is substantially extended in the longitudinal direction, it is easier to manufacture the coloring means as a whole. That is, when the core means is molded by plastic, it can be easily manufactured by adding a coloring component such as a dye to the polymer before molding.

As described above, the feature of the humidifier of the present invention is that at least the portion where the water level of the filling liquid can be confirmed by contacting the front surface of the receiving means is transparent, and including the core means as shown in FIG. The part except the front part has a colored part which is substantially extended in the longitudinal direction of the liquid filling part, and its color is different from the color of the front part. It is preferable that the receiving means has a circular or elliptical cross-sectional structure such that the colored portion appears to be expanded when viewed from the front surface side by being filled with water or the like. Further, the coloring portion may be provided on the core means as shown in FIG. 1, but may be provided on at least a part of the rear side surface of the receiving means including the case where the core means is not used. . The color of the colored portion is not particularly limited, but a blue color is preferable because it gives a clean impression. The color needs to be different from the color of the front surface of the receiving means, but if the filling liquid is colored, it is also preferably different from that color. The color difference referred to here means that at least one of the hue and the lightness is different, but the effect of the present invention is more easily exhibited when the hue is different.
Further, for example, in the case of being colored in the shape of a strip extended in the vertical direction, there may be a portion interrupted in the diagonal direction, etc.,
The whole may be slightly inclined. Further, when the receiving means is formed by molding from a transparent plastic material, it is easier to manufacture if the cross-sectional area of the bottom portion is slightly smaller than that of the upper end portion, and it is easier to manufacture, as shown in FIG. As described above, if the core means is similarly tapered, it is easier to insert and fix the core means.

Further, the core means 7 has a function of substantially limiting the region 17 in which the bubbles 16 can rise to only a part of the horizontal cross-section of the receiver 1 and not the whole thereof. As described above, the inventors have found that the degree of humidification of a gas having a predetermined flow rate can be controlled by setting the horizontal cross-sectional area of the region in which bubbles can rise in a certain range, and arrived at the present invention. That is, proper humidification can be stably performed by adjusting the area of the horizontal cross section (that is, the horizontal plane) of the bubble rising region according to the required flow rate of humidified gas and the degree of humidification.

In addition to that, it is more preferable that the inner part and the outer part of the core means are communicated with each other by providing the opening 9 also in the lower part of the core means. As shown in FIG. 1, by filling a large amount of water in the area outside the core means, that is, the area in which air bubbles do not disperse, the amount of water decreases due to humidification, and the water level decreases. A very stable humidification operation is possible continuously. From this point of view, receiver 1
By increasing the diameter of the upper portion and decreasing the diameter of the lower portion, a stable connected humidifying operation can be performed for a longer period with the same amount of filling water.

The positions of the openings 8 and 9 of the above-mentioned core means may be substantially above or below each in the range of substantially fulfilling their respective functions, but from the viewpoint of the function, the lowermost end of the opening 9 is preferable. . Further, as will be described later, when the core means is porous, the porous portion can correspond to each opening.

It is desirable that the movement of the core means is restricted by the lid means and / or the receiver means. Depending on the case, it may be fixed to the lid means and / or the receiving means, or may be fixed by both the lid means 2 and the receiving means 1. In this case, as a restraint method, there are a method of installing it on the bottom of the receiver in a state of being positioned above and below or a lower portion of the core means, and a method of directly fixing it. Further, as a restraining means including fixing, if necessary, it is better to install or fix to the lid means and / or the receiving means via a member such as a packing made of a material such as a rubber-like material that does not allow sound to propagate for better sound deadening effect. Very preferred. Also, the core means that can be removed from the receiving means is easier to clean and more hygienic. Further, when the core means is made of a gas impermeable member and is attached to the upper part of the humidifier, and the upper space (which may include the liquid part) is partitioned into, for example, the regions 12 and 13, the partition It is desirable to provide an opening 11 for equalizing pressure in each of the created spaces in a part of the core means.

The core means may have any shape and material as long as it fulfills its function. The more preferable shape is a cylindrical shape, and a cylindrical shape is particularly preferable. The region in which the bubbles rise may be inside or outside the core means, but inside the cylindrical core means as shown in FIG. 1, the sound generated due to bubble generation, coalescence, destruction, etc. This is a desirable mode because it is difficult to be transmitted to other than the child means, and the sound emitted to the outside as a whole becomes very small. The member constituting the core means may be a porous member that does not substantially allow air bubbles to pass through, but it is more practical that it is not porous in terms of ease of cleaning. The material of the member of the core means may be any material as long as it retains its shape in the same manner as the material of the receiver means, but it is preferable that it is transparent such as glass or plastic for use, weight, hardness, etc. In terms of the above, transparent plastics such as acrylic resin, polycarbonate resin, styrene resin, polypropylene resin, polyethylene resin are particularly preferable.

Further, the method of attaching the lid means and the receiving means may be a flange type, a screw type, a one-touch fitting type, or any other attaching type, but in practice,
A screw type or a one-touch type fitting type is preferable, and a one-touch type fitting type is particularly convenient.

The oxygen-enriched gas supply device of the present invention includes the humidifier as described above, in addition to the oxygen-enriched gas generating means and the supply means for using the oxygen-enriched gas. The oxygen-enriched gas generating means is oxygen-enriched air having an oxygen concentration higher than that of air or a gas mainly composed of oxygen, and the relative humidity at room temperature is, for example, about 50% or less or about 30% or less. Means for generating oxygen-enriched gas with low humidity. Specific examples thereof include those using one of an oxygen enricher for obtaining oxygen-enriched air from the air such as an adsorption-type oxygen enricher, an oxygen cylinder, and a means for obtaining oxygen gas from liquid oxygen, or the like. A combination can be given. As described above, the oxygen-enriched gas referred to in the present invention means oxygen-enriched air, oxygen gas, or the like.

The adsorption-type oxygen enricher obtains oxygen-enriched air from the air by using an adsorbent having a difference in adsorption ability between oxygen and nitrogen. At this time, water is also separated and the enriched air is removed. It is necessary to add an additional humidifier if it is dried. When obtaining oxygen gas from an oxygen cylinder or liquid oxygen,
Usually, it is necessary to provide a humidification method.

As a specific example of the adsorption-type oxygen enricher which is one of the preferable embodiments of the present invention, one or more adsorbent beds filled with an adsorbent that selectively adsorbs nitrogen gas are pressurized in the adsorbent bed. Equipped with a compressor means for inflowing the atmosphere and a conduit means in the enrichment device for taking out oxygen-enriched air from the adsorbent bed and circulating it to the outlet, wherein one or more adsorbent beds are independent. A pressure fluctuation adsorption type oxygen enricher that is operated so as to repeat the pressurization-depressurization cycle is alternately or alternately. It should be noted that any of the oxygen-enriched gas generating means preferably has a means for adjusting the flow rate of the oxygen-enriched air to be used.

Further, the device of the present invention is such that, in the oxygen-enriched gas generating means, particularly in the oxygen-enriched device, the humidifier is attached to and detached from the resulting outlet of the oxygen-enriched gas by attaching the humidifier with a one-touch type fitting type connector. It is possible to improve driving operability by facilitating the operation.

Further, in the device of the present invention, the supply means for using the oxygen-enriched gas may be of any type, and specific examples thereof include a nasal cannula type and a mask type in which the tip of a thin tube is inserted into the nasal cavity. can give. In some cases, the gas outlet of the humidifier may simply have a tube attached thereto, or may have a joint to which a nasal cannula or the like may be further attached. That is, the supply means referred to in the present invention means a conduit means or the like attached to the gas outlet of the humidifier. The apparatus of the present invention also includes conduit means between the oxygen-enriched gas generating means and the humidifier, and in some cases, by extending the conduit means, the humidifier is located in the immediate vicinity of the user. However, the formation of water droplets there may be further prevented by shortening the conduit means downstream of the humidifier. The aqueous solution referred to in the present invention means one containing a bacteriostatic agent, a substance capable of lowering the water vapor pressure, and the like, and it is desirable that these substances are substantially non-volatile. The device of the present invention can be used not only for medical purposes but also for recovery from fatigue after sports, for example.

<Effects of the Invention> According to the humidifier of the present invention, it is extremely easy to confirm the amount of the filling liquid and the additional filling of the liquid can be reliably performed, so that a gas that has been appropriately humidified for a long period of time is stably obtained. be able to.
Further, according to the humidifier, there are cases in which the sound generated during the humidifying operation is very small and there is an advantage that it hardly becomes a noise source.

Further, according to the oxygen-enriched gas supply device of the present invention, it is possible to stably obtain an appropriately-humidified oxygen-enriched gas for a long period of time, the operability is good, and the device can be used with confidence. Further, the noise during use is small, and in some cases, there is an advantage that the humidifier can be set and used in the immediate vicinity of the user.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating one embodiment of the humidifier according to the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a receiving means, 2 is a lid means, 3 is a gas inlet, 4 is a gas outlet, and 7 is a core means.

Claims (8)

[Claims] 1. A gas inlet, a humidified gas outlet, a receiver means capable of being filled with water or an aqueous solution, a lid means, and a lower part inside the receiver means connected to the gas inlet. A gas humidifier having conduit means having an opening, wherein at least the front surface of the receiving means is transparent, and the opening of the conduit means when the receiving means is filled with water or an aqueous solution. For substantially limiting the region where the bubbles of the gas rising from the portion rise to within a part of the receiving means, and housing the core means having an opening at least at a part of the upper part thereof, The core means has a colored portion substantially extended in a longitudinal direction of a region capable of being filled with water or an aqueous solution, and the color of the colored portion is different from the color of the front surface of the receiver means. humidifier. 2. The core means surrounds at least the opening of the conduit means and the upper portion of the conduit means which can be filled with water or an aqueous solution, and has an opening in at least a part of the lower portion. The humidifier according to claim 1. 3. The humidifier according to claim 1, wherein movement of the core means is substantially restricted by the lid means and / or the receiving means. 4. An upper space in the humidifier is partitioned by the core means, and an opening is provided in the upper part of the core means so that the partitioned spaces communicate with each other. Humidifier according to claim 3. 5. The humidifier according to claim 1, wherein a side portion of the receiving means is substantially cylindrical or elliptic in shape. 6. An oxygen-enriched gas comprising a means for generating an oxygen-enriched gas having a higher oxygen concentration and a lower humidity than air, a humidifier, and a supply means for using the humidified oxygen-enriched gas. In the supply device, the humidifier has an inlet for the oxygen-enriched gas, an outlet for the humidified oxygen-enriched gas, a receiver means filled with water or an aqueous solution, a lid means, and the oxygen-enriched gas. A conduit means connected to the inlet and having an opening in the lower part inside the receiving means, wherein at least the front surface of the receiving means is transparent, and the receiving means is filled with water or an aqueous solution, Core means for substantially confining the region of rise of the gas bubbles emerging from the opening of the conduit means to a portion within the receiver means and having an opening in at least a portion of its upper portion. Was stored and filled with water or an aqueous solution in the core means. Has a colored portion which is substantially extending in the longitudinal direction of the band, the oxygen-enriched gas supply apparatus, wherein the color of the colored portion is different from the color of the front portion of the receiving device means. 7. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the means for generating the oxygen-enriched gas is at least one of an adsorption-type oxygen enricher, an oxygen cylinder, and an oxygen generator using liquid oxygen. 8. The apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the humidifier is connected to the inflow section and / or the outflow section of the oxygen-enriched gas by a one-touch type plug-in connector.