Process and device for the automatic identification of breathing tubes

• US 8,496,001 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2006
• Issued: 07/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dragerwerk AG & Company KGaA (FPS Vermögensverwaltung GmbH)
• Original Assignee: Drager Medical GmbH (FPS Vermögensverwaltung GmbH)
• Inventors: Schermeier, Olaf, Lokotsch, Heiko, Wilkening, Michael, Schoenbeck, Axinja
• Primary Examiner(s): Yu, Justine
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stuart, Colin W
• Application Number:
  US11/381,662
• Publication Number:
  US 20060278221A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,644 Days
• Field of Search: 128/202.22, 128/203.12, 128/203.15, 128/204.22, 128/204.21, 128/200.24, 128/202.27, 128/203.14, 128/204.18, 128/205.23
• US Class Current: 128/202.22
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0816 Joints or connectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0875 Connecting tubes
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/14 Detection of the presence or absence of a tube, a connector or a container in an apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/6018 providing set-up signals for the apparatus configuration

Abstract

A process and a device/system are provided for the automatic identification of the type of a breathing tube. A memory element (5) is connected to the breathing tube (4). The memory element carries stored data identifying the breathing tube (4). The data are read by a reading unit (6), which is part of a respirator (1). The data may be read when the breathing tube (4) is brought into the vicinity of the respirator (1) or connected thereto.

Claims

1. A process for the automatic identification of a type of a breathing tube, the process comprising:

providing a respirator with a reading unit and a control unit for controlling respiration processes during operation of the device based on respiration parameter settings;

providing a memory element connected to a breathing tube, the memory element having data identifying the breathing tube stored thereon;

reading data from the memory element with the reading unit which is part of the respirator, when the breathing tube is brought into the vicinity of the respirator;

identifying, with the control unit, when the breathing tube is not suitable for an intended mode of respiration, associated with the respiration parameter settings, or identifying a mode of respiration set at the respirator, associated with the respiration parameter settings, that does not fit the breathing tube set at the respirator; and

triggering an alarm upon identifying when the breathing tube is not suitable for an intended mode of respiration or upon identifying a mode of respiration that does not fit the breathing tube set at the respirator.

2. A process for the automatic identification of the type of a breathing tube in accordance with claim 1, wherein the memory element is read when the breathing tube is operatively connected to the respirator.

3. A process in accordance with claim 1, further comprising:

performing a check to determine whether the breathing tube is correctly connected to the respirator; and

triggering an alarm if the breathing tube is not connected correctly to the respirator.

4. A process in accordance with claim 1, wherein the reading unit includes a writing and reading unit and further comprising:

writing additional data, with the writing and reading unit, to the memory unit to store additional data in the memory element connected to the breathing tube while the breathing tube is connected to the respirator.

5. A process in accordance with claim 4, wherein respiration parameters are stored as additional data.

6. A process in accordance with claim 4, wherein at least one or more of patient data, accounting data, therapy data, diagnostic data and data that log the use of the breathing tube are stored as additional data.

7. A process in accordance with claim 4, wherein stored respiration parameters are read from the memory unit and said respiration parameters are passed by said memory unit to said control unit of said respirator and are taken over by said control unit as respiration parameters settings of the respirator upon connection of the breathing tube to the respirator.

8. A process in accordance with claim 4, further comprising:

providing a central hospital logistics unit or a patient management system wherein stored data are read from the memory element and these data are processed and passed on to the central system of the hospital logistics unit or to the patient management system.

9. A process in accordance with claim 7, further comprising:

providing an additional respiration device with an additional respiration device reading unit and an additional respiration device control unit for controlling respiration processes during operation of the additional respiration device based on respiration parameter settings; and

reading stored respiration parameters from the memory unit with the additional respiration device reading unit and said respiration parameters are passed by said memory unit to said additional respiration device control unit and said passed respiration parameters are adopted by the additional respiration device control unit as respiration settings upon connection of the breathing tube to the additional respiration device.

10. A respirator system for the automatic recognition of the type of a breathing tube, the system comprising:

a respirator;

a breathing tube which can be connected to said respirator;

a memory element having stored thereon data identifying said breathing tube, said memory element being rigidly connected to said breathing tube;

a memory element reading unit for reading of data from the memory element when the breathing tube is located in the vicinity of the respirator;

an alarm means for providing an alarm notification; and

a control means for receiving data from said memory element reading unit and recognizing the type of breathing tube identified from said data and at least one of

controlling respiration processes occurring during the operation of the device based on respiration parameters set on the respirator after determination that the breathing tube identified from said data is suitable for the respiration parameters set, and

controlling respiration processes occurring during the operation of the device based on respiration parameters set on the respirator after an automatic adaptation of the mode of respiration based on setting respiration parameters of the respirator to a type suitable for the breathing tube identified from said data,

activating the alarm after determination that the breathing tube identified from said data is not suitable for the respiration parameters set or if an automatic adaptation of the mode of respiration to the type of the breathing tube identified from said data is not possible, and

deactivating the respirator after determination that the breathing tube identified from said data is not suitable for the respiration parameters set further use of the breathing tube.

11. A system in accordance with claim 10, wherein said memory element reading unit is integrated in a pneumatic interface at the respirator and is designed such that reading takes place when said breathing tube compatible with that interface is connected.

12. A system in accordance with claim 10, wherein the breathing tube memory element has data storage means, which can be read and written on upon being connected to said respirator.

13. A system in accordance with claim 10, further comprising connection means for determining whether the breathing tube is connected correctly to the respirator and which triggers an alarm when the breathing tube is not connected correctly to the respirator.

14. A system in accordance with claim 10, further comprising data transmission means associated with a data storage means of said memory element, said data transmission means associated with said data storage means comprising a radio frequency identification (RFID) system.

15. A system in accordance with claim 14, wherein said data transmission means and associated said data storage means of said memory element is an RFID tag rigidly connected to the breathing tube.

16. A system in accordance with claim 12, wherein said data storage means is for storing respiration parameters and said data storage means includes one of respiration parameters, which are to be set with the breathing tube system and, respiration parameters which must not be set with the breathing tube system, said control means comparing respiration parameters set on the respirator with respiration parameters stored on said data storage means of said automatic adaptation of the mode of respiration to the type of the breathing tube after the type of the breathing tube has been recognized.

17. A system in accordance with claim 12, wherein said data storage means is for storing patient data, accounting data, therapy data and/or diagnostic data.

18. A system in accordance with claim 10, wherein:

said respirator has a pneumatic interface between said respirator and said breathing tube;

said memory element reading unit and said memory element are associated with contactless transmission means for a contactless transmission of data between said respirator and said breathing tube, said contactless transmission means being integrated in the pneumatic interface between the respirator and the breathing tube.

19. A system in accordance with claim 10, wherein said memory element reading unit and said memory element are associated with means for coding and decoding data transmitted between said memory element reading unit and said memory element and/or stored data.

20. A system in accordance with claim 10, further comprising:

an additional respirator with an additional control means for receiving data from said memory element reading unit and recognizing the type of breathing tube identified from said data and an additional respirator memory element reading unit for reading stored respiration parameters from the memory element and passing the read respiration parameters to said control unit of said respirator, said additional control means and taking these respiration parameters over for operation of the additional respirator upon connection of the breathing tube to the additional respirator.

21. A process for a respirator and breathing tube, the process comprising:

providing a plurality of respirators each with a reading unit and a control unit for controlling respiration processes during operation of the device based on respiration parameter settings;

providing a memory element rigidly connected to a breathing tube, the memory element having data identifying the breathing tube stored thereon including at least one of respiration parameters, which are to be set with the breathing tube, and respiration parameters, which must not be set with the breathing tube;

reading data from the memory element with the reading unit which is part of the first to be used respirator of said plurality of respirators, when the breathing tube is brought into the vicinity of the first to be used respirator of said plurality of respirators;

passing the data from the reading unit to the control unit of the first to be used respirator of said plurality of respirators;

connecting the breathing tube to the first to be used respirator of said plurality of respirators; and

controlling the operation of the respirator with the control unit based on the data passed from the reading unit to use only respiration parameters, which are to be set with the breathing tube and to not use respiration parameters, which must not be set with the breathing tube.

22. A process for a respirator and breathing tube according to claim 21, the process further comprising:

disconnecting the breathing tube from the first to be used respirator of said plurality of respirators;

connecting the breathing tube to a subsequently to be used respirator of said plurality of respirators;

reading data from the memory element with the reading unit which is part of the subsequently to be used respirator of said plurality of respirators, when the breathing tube is brought into the vicinity of the subsequently to be used respirator of said plurality of respirators;

passing the data from the reading unit to the control unit of the subsequently to be used respirator of said plurality of respirators;

adopting the passed respiration parameters by the control unit of the subsequently to be used respirator of said plurality of respirators as respiration settings upon connection of the breathing tube to the subsequently to be used respirator of said plurality of respirators; and

controlling the operation of the subsequently to be used respirator of said plurality of respirators with the control unit of the subsequently to be used respirator of said plurality of respirators based on adopting the passed respiration parameters.

23. A process for a respirator and breathing tube according to claim 22, the process further comprising:

providing the reading unit of the at least the first to be used respirator of said plurality of respirators as a writing and reading unit;

prior to connecting the breathing tube to the first to be used respirator of said plurality of respirators, entering operator set respiration parameters into the first to be used respirator of said plurality of respirators; and

comparing the operator set respiration parameters with respiration parameters from data passed from the reading unit to the control unit of the first to be used respirator and changing the respiration parameters or adding respiration parameters by writing new data to the memory element.

24. A process for a respirator and breathing tube according to claim 23, the process further comprising:

upon comparing the operator set respiration parameters with respiration parameters from data passed from the reading unit identifying, with the control unit, when the breathing tube is not suitable for an intended mode of respiration, associated with the respiration parameter settings, or identifying a mode of respiration set at the respirator, associated with the respiration parameter settings, that does not fit the breathing tube set at the respirator; and

triggering an alarm upon identifying when the breathing tube is not suitable for an intended mode of respiration or upon identifying a mode of respiration that does not fit the breathing tube set at the respirator.