Gas concentration sensor and control for oxygen concentrator utilizing gas concentration sensor
US5917135A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 12, 1997 |
| Grant date | Jun 29, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 12, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N2291/02809
- WIPO fieldChemical engineering
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
An acoustic oxygen sensor is provided which can be used in the output lines leading from the sieve beds. This sensor can be used in communication with a microprocessor to control the production and evacuation cycles of the sieve beds, i.e., for example to determine the period for which a bed is supplied with compressed air and communicates with the reservoir as well as to determine the pressure of the compressed air and to determine the amount of time that the product gas is fed through the flow equalization path to supply an aliquot of purging gas to a used bed. In the feedback loop, the microprocessor utilizes the measured oxygen concentration and flow rate to optimize the settings necessary to achieve maximum oxygen concentration and flow rate efficiency. Since the microprocessor has the ability to make incremental changes and compare relative values, the optimum values can be determined empirically eliminating the need to perform complex theoretical calculations.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.