DESC:BACKGROUND
Technical Field
[0001] Embodiments of this disclosure generally relate to an oxygen concentrator device, and more particularly, to an oxygen concentrator device that produce medical oxygen to supply to hospitals.
Description of the Related Art
[0002] Most living things need oxygen to survive and oxygen’s importance in the field of healthcare cannot be underestimated. Oxygen is widely used in every healthcare setting, with applications from resuscitation to inhalation therapy. Medical oxygen is used to provide a basis for virtually all modern anesthetic techniques, restore tissue oxygen tension by improving oxygen availability in a wide range of conditions such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), cyanosis, shock, severe hemorrhage, carbon monoxide poisoning, major trauma, cardiac/respiratory arrest, aid resuscitation, provide life support for artificially ventilated patients and aid cardiovascular stability etc.
[0003] Medical Oxygen is a crucial treatment for many patients with severe Covid-19, since the disease affects lung function. One of the tell-tale symptoms is shortness of breath, which can be followed by pneumonia, as the lungs fill with fluid. In the mild and moderate stages of disease, normal oxygen supportive measures (facemask oxygen) may be advantageous. Medical oxygen in India has been in severe shortage as the country grapples with a deadly wave of the pandemic Covid-19, because the patients dying in ambulances and parking lots outside the hospitals and overwhelmed crematoriums. It has also drained supplies of medical oxygen, which is vital for those who have been infected. The dire shortage has turned out to be a major challenge facing hospitals in many states across the country. Many hospitals in a number of Indian cities and towns have run short of the gas, sending relatives of patients scrambling for oxygen cylinders, sometimes in vain. As a surge of Covid-19 patients increases demand for oxygen, hospitals are tackling major fault lines in the supply chain and equipment necessary to deliver the gas to patients. Hospitals treating COVID-19 patients across the country are staring at a major medical oxygen shortage for treating COVID-19 patients. As oxygen runs out, it is important to increase the oxygen production.
[0004] While oxygen itself isn't in short supply, the "crush" of patients requiring supplemental oxygen as part of their treatment for Covid-19 "has stressed the infrastructure for delivering the gas to hospitals and their patients". These stress points include not just weaknesses in the oxygen supply chain, but also with hospital piping and equipment that was not designed to meet this level of demand. For instance, in terms of the supply chain, demand for oxygen put pressure on access to the portable cylinders that contain oxygen; the concentrator devices that pull oxygen from the air; nasal cannulas, the tubes needed to give patients oxygen; and even in some cases, the sheer quantity of oxygen that hospitals need delivered.
[0005] Exiting portable oxygen concentrators are available in the market, which are mainly meant for home/limited use, especially for deceased person or for old age people. However, this exiting portable oxygen concentrators cannot be used for hospital setup as it requires frequent cleaning of air filter and compressor; moreover, it is very risky and difficult to do the maintenance, especially in the presence of Covid patients in the hospitals. Further, if this portable oxygen concentrator is not durable and the lifetime of this portable oxygen concentrator will be lost around 6 months to 1 year if it is used for 24/7 in the hospital setup.
[0006] Alternatively, Pressure swing absorption (PSA) plants are used to produce oxygen in large industries for many industrial applications such as cutting. In order to meet the current demand of oxygen, many PSA plants need to be installed. Installing/deployment of the PSA plant in a hospital or in an industry setup is very time consuming process as it requires a lot of skilled person to commission, install and operate the PSA plant. Further, the PSA plant is very expensive as well.
[0007] Accordingly, there remains a need for an oxygen concentrator device, which can be easily deployed in hospitals with their existing setups, to generate oxygen needful for patients.
SUMMARY
[0008] In view of the foregoing, an embodiment herein provides a system including a plurality of oxygen concentrator devices that is implemented inside a premises for generating oxygen. The plurality of oxygen concentrator devices are connected to an outdoor unit. The outdoor unit includes an air filtration unit and a compressor. The air filtration unit filters dust particle from air. The compressor supplies the air into the oxygen concentrator device after filtration for generating the oxygen. Each of the plurality of oxygen concentrator devices includes an inlet, a control unit and an outlet. The inlet receives the air from the compressor. The oxygen concentrator device generates oxygen using a pressure swing absorption technology (PSA). The control unit controls the production of the oxygen by the oxygen concentrator device. The outlet receives the oxygen generated and passes through the outlet to supply the oxygen to a patient.
[0009] In some embodiments, the oxygen concentrator device includes a purity analyzer that monitors a purity of the oxygen that is generated by the oxygen concentrator device. In some embodiments, the oxygen concentrator device is connected to the outdoor unit through a pipeline.
[0010] In some embodiments, the oxygen concentrator device is placed in between two beds in a hospital premises and the outlet has two ports to supply the oxygen to the patients who occupied those two beds. In some embodiments, the oxygen concentrator device delivers oxygen directly to a pipeline of the hospital premises which is connected to a plurality of beds.
[0011] In some embodiments, the oxygen concentrator device includes an input power of 230 Volt (V) AC, and 50 hertz (Hz) and has a power consumption of 320 watts (W). In some embodiments, the oxygen concentrator device generates an outlet pressure of 8 to 9 Pound-force per square inch (psi) or 58.6 Kilopascal (kpa).
[0012] In some embodiments, a percentage of oxygen generated from the oxygen concentrator device is 93% + or - 3% pure. In some embodiments, the oxygen concentrator device includes a pressure relief valve which has 35 to 45 psi. The pressure relief valve is a safety valve used to control or limit the pressure in the oxygen concentrator device.
[0013] In one aspect, a method of generating oxygen using a system including a plurality of oxygen concentrator devices that is implemented inside a premises is provided. The plurality of oxygen concentrator devices are connected to an outdoor unit. The method includes (i) filtering dust particle from air using an air filtration unit of the outdoor unit (103), (ii) suppling the air into the oxygen concentrator device after filtration using a compressor of the outdoor unit for generating the oxygen, (iii) receiving the air from the compressor, using an inlet of an oxygen concentrator device, wherein the oxygen concentrator device generates oxygen using a pressure swing absorption technology (PSA), (iv) controlling the production of the oxygen by the oxygen concentrator device using a control unit of the oxygen concentrator device, and (v) receiving the oxygen generated using an outlet of the oxygen concentrator device and passes through the outlet to supply the oxygen to a patient.
[0014] These and other aspects of the embodiments herein will be better appreciated and understood when considered in conjunction with the following description and the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the following descriptions, while indicating preferred embodiments and numerous specific details thereof, are given by way of illustration and not of limitation. Many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the embodiments herein without departing from the spirit thereof, and the embodiments herein include all such modifications.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] The embodiments herein will be better understood from the following detailed description with reference to the drawings, in which:
[0016] FIG. 1 illustrates a system view of an oxygen concentrator device that generates oxygen according to an embodiment herein;
[0017] FIG. 2 illustrates a system view of one or more oxygen concentrator devices that are connected to an outdoor unit to produce oxygen according to an embodiment herein;
[0018] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary view of one or more oxygen concentrator devices that are placed in between two beds in a hospital for supplying oxygen according to an embodiment herein;
[0019] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary view of the oxygen concentrator device of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment herein;
[0020] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary view of a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) technology that is used in the oxygen concentrator device to produce oxygen according to an embodiment herein; and
[0021] FIG. 6 illustrates a method of generating oxygen using a system including a plurality of oxygen concentrator devices according to an embodiment herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0022] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein. As mentioned, there remains a need for an oxygen concentrator device for supplying oxygen for hospitals. Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIGS. 1 through 6, where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures, there are shown preferred embodiments.
[0023] FIG. 1 illustrates a system view of an oxygen concentrator device 102 that generates oxygen according to an embodiment herein. The oxygen concentrator device 102 includes a control unit 104, an inlet 106, an outlet 108 and a purity analyzer 110. The oxygen concentrator device 102 is connected to an outdoor unit 103 that includes an air filtration unit 114 and a compressor 112. The oxygen concentrator device 102 is connected to the outdoor unit 103 through a pipeline. The air filtration unit 114 filters dust particle from the air before the compressor 112 supplies the air into the oxygen concentrator device 102 through the inlet 106. The oxygen concentrator device 102 produces oxygen from the air received from the compressor 112. The control unit 104 controls the production of the oxygen by the oxygen concentrator device 102. The oxygen concentrator device 102 generates oxygen using a pressure swing absorption technology (PSA). The oxygen that is generated passes through the outlet 108 to supply to a patient. The oxygen concentrator device 102 may be placed in between two beds (e.g. hospital beds) and the outlet 108 has two ports to supply oxygen to the patients who occupied those two beds. The purity analyzer 110 monitors the purity of the oxygen that is generated by the oxygen concentrator device 102.
[0024] In some embodiments, the oxygen concentrator device 102 generates oxygen using ambient air and delivers continuous and concentrated flow of oxygen for different medical applications. The oxygen concentrator device 102 may generate uninterrupted supply of oxygen. The oxygen concentrator device 102 is portable, compact, efficient, and low in cost compared to the existing oxygen concentrator and the conventional PSA systems as each oxygen concentrator device 102 does not require a separate compressor for providing air for oxygen generation. The oxygen concentrator device 102 has economic significance as it needs only one compressor. Further, by keeping the compressor 112 and the air filtration unit 114 outdoor, the oxygen concentrator device 102 has increased lifetime as the part such as an air filter, a molecular sieve, an oxygen module of the oxygen concentrator device 102 does not get damaged due to the heat generated by the compressor 112. As there is no moving parts other than solenoid valve, the oxygen concentrator device 102 does not produce any major noise. The oxygen concentrator device 102 can be easily deployable, highly durable and easily scalable in hospital setup. The oxygen concentrator device 102 has very low power consumption of less than 10 watts and can be easily switched off manually.
[0025] The oxygen concentrator device 102 may include an internal air compressor that supplies air for producing oxygen, aluminum sieve beds with molecular sieve material, a filtration and a flow of control systems. The molecular sieve is a superior grade of molecular sieve beds. In some embodiments, the oxygen concentrator device 102 has a reliable oxygen source with low maintenance. In some embodiments, the oxygen concentrator device 102 produces up to 95% oxygen using PSA. The oxygen concentrator device 102 is user-friendly in design and has easy-accessible control panel. In some embodiments, the oxygen concentrator device 102 filters air to ensure oxygen purity using the purity analyzer 110.
[0026] The oxygen concentrator device 102 may deliver oxygen directly to a pipeline of the hospital or other applications and offer a cost-effective, reliable and safe alternative to traditional oxygen gas supplies such as cylinders or cryogenic liquid. The capacity of the oxygen concentrator device 102 ranges from 5 litre to 500 litre per minute at 95% purity. The oxygen concentrator device 102 may include a control system with Human-Machine Interface (HMI) touch operated for controlling the functions of the oxygen concentrator device 102 and an automatic start/stop. In some embodiments, the oxygen concentrator device 102 is designed for dynamic pressure loading. The oxygen concentrator device 102 is robust in design and pipeline are made from stainless steel. The oxygen concentrator device 102 provides molecular sieve moisture protection, purity and pressure control.
[0027] In some embodiments, the oxygen concentrator device 102 includes an input power of 230 Volt (V) AC, 50 hertz (Hz) and power consumption of 320 watts (W). The input power may be an electric power or battery power. In some embodiments, the oxygen concentrator device 102 provides an outlet pressure of 8.5 + or - 0.5 Pound-force per square inch (psi) (i.e. 58.6 Kilopascal, kpa). In some embodiments, a percentage of oxygen generated from the oxygen concentrator device 102 is 93% + or - 3% pure. The following table shows the purity of the oxygen generated in the oxygen concentrator device in liters per minute.
Serial No. Flow (Liters Per Minute, LPM) Purity (%)
1 1 96
2 2 96
3 3 96
4 4 95.9
5 5 95.9
6 6 95.8
7 7 95.7
8 8 95.7
9 9 95.6
10 10 95.5
[0028] In some embodiments, the oxygen concentrator device 102 includes a pressure relief valve which has 40 psi + or - 5 psi (i.e. 276 kPa + or - 34.5 kPa). The pressure relief valve is a safety valve used to control or limit the pressure in the oxygen concentrator device 102. A level of sound in the oxygen concentrator device 102 is less than 48 decibels (db) (A). The dimension (Length x Width x Height) of the oxygen concentrator device 102 is 620 x 430 x 320 millimeters (mm) and the weight of the oxygen concentrator device 102 is 16 Kilograms (kg).
[0029] FIG. 2 illustrates a system view of one or more oxygen concentrator devices (102A-N) that are connected to an outdoor unit 103 to produce oxygen according to an embodiment herein. The one or more oxygen concentrator devices (102A-N) are connected to the outdoor unit 103 that includes an air filtration unit 114 and a compressor 112. The one or more oxygen concentrator devices (102A-N) are connected to the outdoor unit 103 through a pipeline. Each oxygen concentrator device 102 includes a control unit 104, an inlet 106, an outlet 108 and a purity analyzer 110. The air filtration unit 114 filters dust particle from the air before the compressor 112 supplies the air into the one or more oxygen concentrator devices (102A-N) through their inlet. The one or more oxygen concentrator devices (102A-N) produce oxygen from the air received from the compressor 112. The oxygen that is generated passes through the outlet 108 to supply to a patient. The one or more oxygen concentrator devices (102A-N) generate oxygen using a pressure swing absorption technology (PSA). The purity analyzer 110 monitors the purity of the oxygen that is generated by the oxygen concentrator device 102.
[0030] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary view of one or more oxygen concentrator devices (102A-N) that are placed in between two beds in a hospital for supplying oxygen according to an embodiment herein. The one or more oxygen concentrator devices (102A-N) are connected one or more oxygen concentrator devices (102A-N). The one or more oxygen concentrator devices (102A-N) are connected to the outdoor unit 103 through a pipeline. Each oxygen concentrator device 102 includes a control unit 104, an inlet 106, an outlet 108 and a purity analyzer 110. The one or more oxygen concentrator devices (102A-N) are placed in between two beds (e.g. 302A and 302B) in a hospital for supplying oxygen to patients.
[0031] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary view of the oxygen concentrator device 102 of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment herein. The parts and functions of the oxygen concentrator device 102 are as described above.
[0032] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary view of a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) technology that is used in the oxygen concentrator device 102 to produce oxygen according to an embodiment herein. The oxygen concentrator device 102 may have intelligence to produce oxygen according to a patient’s requirements. The oxygen concentrator device 102 separates the oxygen 21% from the compressed air and exhaust the nitrogen 78% to the atmosphere through a unique separation process called Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA). The main process in PSA technology is called molecular sieve beds. This molecular sieve is designed to absorb nitrogen. The two molecular sieve beds are filled with zeolite as absorbers. The compressed air from the compressor 112 is fed into the first molecular sieve bed 502 which trap the nitrogen and allows the oxygen to flow. When the sieve in the first molecular sieve bed 502 gets full of nitrogen, the air flow is then switched to a second molecular sieve bed 504. When the second molecular sieve bed 504 separates the oxygen from the nitrogen, the first molecular sieve bed 502 vents its nitrogen into the atmosphere. The compressed air is once again fed into the first molecular sieve bed 502 and the process is repeated continuously for producing a constant flow of oxygen.
[0033] FIG. 6 illustrates a method of generating oxygen using a system including a plurality of oxygen concentrator devices according to an embodiment herein. At step 602, dust particle from air is filtered using an air filtration unit 114 of the outdoor unit 103. At step 604, the air is supplied into the oxygen concentrator device 102 after filtration using a compressor 112 of the outdoor unit 103 for generating the oxygen. At step 606, the air is received from the compressor 112, using an inlet 106 of an oxygen concentrator device 102. The oxygen concentrator device 102 generates oxygen using a pressure swing absorption technology (PSA). At step 608, the production of the oxygen by the oxygen concentrator device 102 is controlled using a control unit 104 of the oxygen concentrator device. At step 610, the oxygen generated is received using an outlet 108 of the oxygen concentrator device 102 and passes through the outlet 108 to supply the oxygen to a patient.
[0034] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope.
,CLAIMS:I/We claim:
1. A system comprising a plurality of oxygen concentrator devices (102A-N) that is implemented inside a premises for generating oxygen, wherein the plurality of oxygen concentrator devices (102A-N) are connected to an outdoor unit (103), wherein the outdoor unit (103) comprises:
an air filtration unit (114) that filters dust particle from air; and
a compressor (112) that supplies the air into the oxygen concentrator device (102) after filtration for generating the oxygen;
wherein each of the plurality of oxygen concentrator devices (102A-N), characterized in that, comprises:
an inlet (106) that receives the air from the compressor (112), wherein the oxygen concentrator device (102) generates oxygen using a pressure swing absorption technology (PSA);
a control unit (104) that controls the production of the oxygen by the oxygen concentrator device (102); and
an outlet (108) that receives the oxygen generated and passes through the outlet (108) to supply the oxygen to a patient.

2. The oxygen concentrator device (102) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the oxygen concentrator device (102) comprises a purity analyzer (110) that monitors a purity of the oxygen that is generated by the oxygen concentrator device 102.

3. The oxygen concentrator device (102) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the oxygen concentrator device (102) is connected to the outdoor unit (103) through a pipeline.

4. The oxygen concentrator device (102) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the oxygen concentrator device (102) is placed in between two beds in a hospital premises and wherein the outlet (108) has two ports to supply the oxygen to the patients who occupied those two beds.

5. The oxygen concentrator device (102) as claimed in claim 3, wherein the oxygen concentrator device (102) delivers oxygen directly to a pipeline of the hospital premises which is connected to a plurality of beds.

6. The oxygen concentrator device (102) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the oxygen concentrator device (102) comprises an input power of 230 Volt (V) AC, and 50 hertz (Hz) and has a power consumption of 320 watts (W).

7. The oxygen concentrator device (102) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the oxygen concentrator device (102) generates an outlet pressure of 8 to 9 Pound-force per square inch (psi) or 58.6 Kilopascal (kpa).

8 The oxygen concentrator device (102) as claimed in claim 1, wherein a percentage of oxygen generated from the oxygen concentrator device (102) is 93% + or - 3% pure.

9. The oxygen concentrator device (102) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the oxygen concentrator device (102) includes a pressure relief valve which has 35 to 45 psi, wherein the pressure relief valve is a safety valve used to control or limit the pressure in the oxygen concentrator device (102).

10. A method of generating oxygen using a system comprising a plurality of oxygen concentrator devices (102A-N) that is implemented inside a premises, wherein the plurality of oxygen concentrator devices (102A-N) are connected to an outdoor unit (103), wherein the method comprising:
filtering dust particle from air using an air filtration unit (114) of the outdoor unit (103);
suppling the air into the oxygen concentrator device (102) after filtration using a compressor (112) of the outdoor unit (103) for generating the oxygen;
receiving the air from the compressor (112), using an inlet (106) of an oxygen concentrator device (102), wherein the oxygen concentrator device (102) generates oxygen using a pressure swing absorption technology (PSA);
controlling the production of the oxygen by the oxygen concentrator device (102) using a control unit (104) of the oxygen concentrator device (102); and
receiving the oxygen generated using an outlet (108) of the oxygen concentrator device (102) and passes through the outlet (108) to supply the oxygen to a patient.