Cost-effective and power-efficient portable turbine-based emergency ventilator
Description
Ventilators have always been common in medical scenarios but very expensive to procure or develop. One of the main reasons for these is the components that are being used are expensive and require precise instrumentation, research, and development. This paper attempts to mitigate that problem by proposing a novel way to rapidly develop a portable ventilator that uses common 3D printing technology and off-the-shelf components. This turbine and valve-based ventilator feature most of the modes that are commonly used by healthcare professionals. A unique servo-based pressure release mechanism has been designed that makes the system around 36 times more efficient than solenoid-based systems. Reliability and efficiency have been increased further through the use of a novel positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) valve that does not contain any electromechanical component. Effective algorithms such as feed-forward and proportional–integral–derivative (PID) controllers were used alongside the unique ‘Sensor data filtration methodology’. The system also provides an interactive graphical user interface (GUI) via an android application that can be installed on any readily found tabs while the firmware manages the breathing detection algorithm using a flow meter and pressure sensor. This modular and portable ventilator also features a replaceable battery and holds the ability to run on solar power. This energy-efficient and low noise system can run for 5 to 6 hours at a stretch without needing to be connected to the main’s supply.
Files
Steps to reproduce
3D Parts Setup: 1. Open the ‘Assembly 3D Model Files’ and find the ‘Ventilator Assembly.step’ file. 2. Open the ‘Ventilator Assembly.step’ file on Fusion360 or any other 3D modelling software that can open this file. 3. Create STL files for each of the parts in this file, which are also mentioned in the ‘Design Files’ section. 4. Open the STL files in a slicing software and upload it on a 3D printer for printing the parts. 5. After the parts are all printed, follow the detailed assembly instruction provided in the ‘Build Instructions’ section above. Electronics Setup: 1. Get all the modules as demonstrated through the [Figure 11]. 2. Connect the modules accordingly using good low resistive wires. Software Setup 1. Use Android Studio software to generate the apk files. 2. Install into the android device. All files can be found in "Android Application" zipped folder. Firmware Setup: 1. Download all the codes from the ‘Firmware’ folder 2. Connect an Arduino development board 3. Upload the code onto it