Detecting combustion of a nasal cannula
AssigneeKoninklijke Philips N.V.
InventorGARY NATHAN HOLDER
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Abstract
A system includes a nasal cannula having a flexible tube configured to transmit oxygen gas to a user, an optical fiber coupled to the nasal cannula and configured to transmit light having a frequency spectrum range at least including that of light resulting from combustion of the nasal cannula while transmitting the oxygen gas to the user, a detector operatively coupled to the optical fiber and configured to detect the light transmitted through the optical fiber, and a valve. The valve is configured to be actuated to interrupt the transmission of the oxygen gas to the user through the nasal cannula in response to a signal from the detector.
Claims20
A system comprising:
- a nasal cannula comprising a flexible tube configured to transmit oxygen gas to a user;
- an optical fiber coupled to the nasal cannula and configured to transmit light having a frequency spectrum range at least including that of light resulting from combustion of the nasal cannula while transmitting the oxygen gas to the user;
- a detector operatively coupled to the optical fiber and configured to detect the light transmitted through the optical fiber;
- and
- a valve configured to be actuated to interrupt the transmission of the oxygen gas to the user through the nasal cannula in response to a signal from the detector.
A method for detecting combustion of a nasal cannula while transmitting oxygen gas to a user, the method comprising;
- providing the nasal cannula, the nasal cannula comprising a flexible tube configured to transmit oxygen gas to the user;
- providing an optical fiber, the optical fiber being coupled to the nasal cannula and configured to transmit light having a frequency spectrum range at least including that of light resulting from combustion of the nasal cannula while transmitting the oxygen gas to the user;
- detecting, using a detector operatively coupled to the optical fiber, the light transmitted through the optical fiber;
- and
- actuating a valve to interrupt the transmission of the oxygen gas to the user through the nasal cannula in response to a signal from the detector.
A system, the system comprising:
- means for transmitting oxygen gas to a user, the means for transmitting oxygen gas comprising a flexible tube configured to transmit the oxygen gas to the user;
- means for transmitting light therethrough, the means for transmitting light having a frequency spectrum range at least including that of light resulting from the combustion of the means for transmitting oxygen gas while transmitting the oxygen gas to the user;
- means for detecting the light transmitted through the means for transmitting light, the means for detecting the light operatively coupled to the means for transmitting light;
- and
- means for interrupting the transmission of the oxygen gas through the means for transmitting oxygen gas in response to a signal from the means for detecting.
An assembly for use in a nasal cannula, comprising:
- a flexible tube configured to transmit oxygen gas to a user;
- and
- an optical fiber coupled to the flexible tube and configured to transmit light having a frequency spectrum range at least including that of light resulting from combustion of the flexible tube while transmitting the oxygen gas to the user.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.