Design World

  • Home
  • Technologies
    • 3D CAD
    • Electronics • electrical
    • Fastening & Joining
    • Factory automation
    • Linear Motion
    • Motion Control
    • Test & Measurement
    • Sensors
    • Fluid power
  • Learn
    • Ebooks / Tech Tips
    • Engineering Week
    • Future of Design Engineering
    • MC² Motion Control Classrooms
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
  • LEAP AWARDS
  • Leadership
    • 2022 Voting
    • 2021 Winners
  • Design Guide Library
  • Resources
    • Subscribe!
    • 3D Cad Models
      • PARTsolutions
      • TraceParts
    • Digital Issues
      • Design World
      • EE World
    • Women in Engineering
  • Supplier Listings

Piezoelectric Valve Extends Battery Life of Oxygen Container

By Laura Carrabine | April 7, 2011

Share

Long-term oxygen therapy is the only intervention known to increase life expectancy for the more than 30 million chronic obstructive pulmonary disease sufferers in the U.S. Providing people with the correct amount of oxygen is critical to preventing blood oxygen levels from dropping below normal and stressing vital organs and limiting ambulation.

festo-piezovalve
The unit uses a Festo
Piezovalve
to help preserve
battery life
.

Historically, oxygen conservers – devices that deliver oxygen when someone inhales – were designed to deliver a fixed-minute or fixed-pulse dose of oxygen per breath. Since most users are ill, making the manual adjustments that are required to increase or decrease the oxygen flow of these units can be difficult. Also, these oxygen conservers do not automatically monitor breathing and adjust oxygen dosage based on the patient’s activity level.

Rick Kocinski, executive vice-president of evoMedical Solutions, set a goal to design a conserver that could monitor a person’s exertion level through breathing patterns, and automatically adjust the oxygen supply to meet an individual’s needs, which would also make the device more efficient and use less oxygen.

The initial design was a unit that used a unique microprocessor and pressure transducer to monitor oxygen requirements for every breath. Sophisticated algorithms instructed a multi-solenoid valve mechanism to deliver the oxygen dose required by the user at any activity level. However, because the solenoid valves demand relatively large current, the unit’s rechargeable batteries lasted for only about four days. To eliminate frequent battery replacement or battery chargers, Kocinski sought an option that would provide the advantages of an electric unit yet eliminate high current load on the batteries.

“When we integrated the Festo Piezovalve into our design, we went from valve current demand of 90% down to a valve current of less than 3%,” said Kocinski. “That enabled an even greater battery life extension if we were able to cut down on the processor, transducer, and instrumentation electrical overhead.

“Rather than invest in low power chip sets, which would have required us to do recoding and change the firmware and hardware design, we did a lot of things to manage power in the circuits,” added Kocinski. “During the design stage, we went from three or four days on a set of standard AA alkaline batteries to 1,300 hours, which is approximately one year’s worth of usage.”

grandpa-with-oxygen-tank

The core of the Festo Piezovalve is a carbon ceramic gap bender that is self- compensating for temperature and can control flows up to 20 lpm. The bender is packaged in a 7 mm-thick body with integrated header pins for easy integration. The valve has three ports and can be used either as a pair of 2/2 valves or a 3-way valve with a closed center port.

Unlike conventional solenoid valves that require constant power to remain open, piezo valves remain in position after being charged in a manner similar to a small capacitor. This gives them the properties of a latching valve, even when used in partially opened proportional applications. In addition, the Piezovalve requires less energy to open – about 1 millijoule (mJ), compared to the 5 mJ that a low power 1 W solenoid requires.

Electrical design plays a large part in the performance of the Piezovalve. Its proportional characteristic allows you to slowly open or close the valve to reduce noise or to soften gas delivery. Its dynamic nature works well in closed loop controls.

Inspired Technologies
www.inspiredtechnologiesinc.com

Festo
www.festo.com/cms/en-us_us

::Design World::


Filed Under: Medical, Energy management + harvesting, Pneumatic equipment + components, Valves

 

Tell Us What You Think!

Related Articles Read More >

Leveraging Wireless Power for medical application
Luci_Lauren
How injection molding can help power wheelchair applications
spartan scientific high-pressure solenoid pump
High-pressure solenoid pump offers fluid control for rigorous needs
3M MedTech_Overcoming the fear of failure
Overcoming fear of failure in medical device development

DESIGN GUIDE LIBRARY

“motion

Enews Sign Up

Motion Control Classroom

Design World Digital Edition

cover

Browse the most current issue of Design World and back issues in an easy to use high quality format. Clip, share and download with the leading design engineering magazine today.

EDABoard the Forum for Electronics

Top global problem solving EE forum covering Microcontrollers, DSP, Networking, Analog and Digital Design, RF, Power Electronics, PCB Routing and much more

EDABoard: Forum for electronics

Sponsored Content

  • Industrial disc pack couplings
  • Pushing performance: Adding functionality to terminal blocks
  • Get to Know Würth Industrial Division
  • Renishaw next-generation FORTiS™ enclosed linear encoders offer enhanced metrology and reliability for machine tools
  • WAGO’s smartDESIGNER Online Provides Seamless Progression for Projects
  • Epoxy Certified for UL 1203 Standard

Design World Podcasts

July 26, 2022
Tech Tuesdays: Sorbothane marks 40 years of shock and vibration innovation
See More >
Engineering Exchange

The Engineering Exchange is a global educational networking community for engineers.

Connect, share, and learn today »

Design World
  • Advertising
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Manage your Design World Subscription
  • Subscribe
  • Design World Digital Network
  • Engineering White Papers
  • LEAP AWARDS

Copyright © 2022 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search Design World

  • Home
  • Technologies
    • 3D CAD
    • Electronics • electrical
    • Fastening & Joining
    • Factory automation
    • Linear Motion
    • Motion Control
    • Test & Measurement
    • Sensors
    • Fluid power
  • Learn
    • Ebooks / Tech Tips
    • Engineering Week
    • Future of Design Engineering
    • MC² Motion Control Classrooms
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • Webinars
  • LEAP AWARDS
  • Leadership
    • 2022 Voting
    • 2021 Winners
  • Design Guide Library
  • Resources
    • Subscribe!
    • 3D Cad Models
      • PARTsolutions
      • TraceParts
    • Digital Issues
      • Design World
      • EE World
    • Women in Engineering
  • Supplier Listings