Maquet Critical Care Ab

Rosemount Tank Radar Ab

Siemens Elema Ab

Urban Blomberg

Fredrik Jalde

Håkan Delin

Åke Larsson

Lars-Ove Larsson

Lars Ove Larsson

Christer Ström

Christer Frövik

Kin-Chun Wong

A method of determining a filling level of a product in a tank using a radar level gauge system comprising a transceiver, an antenna, and processing circuitry, the method comprising the steps of: generating and transmitting a transmit signal; receiving a reflection signal resulting from reflection of the transmit signal; determining based on the transmit signal and the reflection signal, for each surface echo candidate, a first measure indicative of a distance and a second measure indicating a rate-of-change distribution of the distance; assigning one surface echo candidate as most likely to correspond to single reflection of the transmit signal at the surface of the product, based on an evaluation of the second measure for each surface echo candidate; and determining the filling level based on the first measure for the assigned surface echo candidate.

Radar level gauge system and method with improved filling level determination

A method of detecting leakage, comprising the steps of: performing a sequence of monitoring operations; and providing, when it is determined that leakage is present, a signal indicative of detected leakage. Each monitoring operation includes the steps of: generating a transmit signal exhibiting a time-varying frequency; receiving a reflection signal resulting from reflection of the transmit signal at the surface; forming an intermediate frequency signal for the present monitoring operation based on the transmit signal and the reflection signal; determining a phase of the intermediate frequency signal for the present monitoring operation; determining, based on the phase for the present monitoring operation and the phase associated with at least one previous monitoring operation, a measure indicative of a present rate of change of the phase; comparing the measure with a predefined threshold value; and determining a presence of leakage based on the comparison.

Leakage detection system and method

In a method and system of regulating multiple anesthetic agents in a breathing circuit of an anesthetic breathing apparatus is disclosed, a primary anesthetic agent added to the breathing circuit is regulated to a set desired value of the amount of the primary anesthetic agent, and a secondary anesthetic agent in the breathing circuit is regulated to an amount of said secondary anesthetic agent that it is equal to or less than a defined threshold level, e.g. of the concentration, of the secondary anesthetic agent.

Regulation of delivery of multiple anesthetic agents to a patient from an anesthetic breathing apparatus

The present invention relates to a radar level gauge for determining a distance (D) to a surface of a product in a tank, said radar level gauge comprising: a transceiver configured to transmit an electromagnetic transmit signal (S) with varying frequency towards said surface and to receive an electromagnetic return signal (S), via a signal propagation device; a mixer adapted to mix the transmitted electromagnetic transmit signal with the received electromagnetic return signal to provide a mixer output signal including information about the surface's echo and information about another echo; and processing circuitry configured to apply an algorithm to the mixer output signal, which algorithm provides a distance-level rate matrix wherein the surface's echo and said another echo each is determined in the two dimensions distance and level rate, and to determine the distance to the surface based on the thus determined echo of the surface.

Radar level gauge

A radar level gauge comprising transceiver circuitry configured to obtain a tank signal including a peak representing a surface echo, and at least one peak caused by a ghost echo in a neighborhood of the surface echo. The gauge further includes a tank signal filter receiving the tank signal as input and providing an echo threshold profile, the threshold profile having at least one local maximum substantially coinciding with one of the peaks in the tank signal, and processing circuitry configured to use the echo threshold profile to disregard peaks in the tank signal which are associated with ghost reflections. The filtering of the tank signal thus provides an adaptive threshold, which is aligned with the peak(s) in the tank signal. By using this threshold in the surface echo identification, at least some ghost echoes occurring in the tank signal may be disregarded.

Adaptive echo threshold

A radar level gauge for determining a process variable of product in a tank, having processing circuitry configured to process a tank signal and, when no surface echo can be identified, enter a wait state. The wait state includes a) storing the tank signal in memory, b) obtaining a wait state tank signal, c) comparing the wait state tank signal with the stored tank signal to determine a tank signal difference measure, d) repeating steps b) and c) until the tank signal difference measure is greater than a predefined threshold, e) processing the wait state tank signal to identify a surface echo, and f) when no surface echo can be identified in the wait state tank signal, setting an alarm. By storing the tank signal when the wait state is entered, it is therefore possible to defer an alarm until the tank signal deviates from this stored tank signal.

Radar level gauging with wait state

A ventilator intended to be connected to a patient for breathing therapy has a control unit having an input for receiving EMG signals from an EMG detector and an output for an EMG based control signal and a pneumatic unit for generating breathing gas flows dependent on the EMG based control signal is described. The ventilator has a detector for determining a parameter related to breathing dynamics for the patient, this detector being connected to the control unit and control unit controlling the pneumatic unit dependent on the parameter related to breathing dynamics in the case of loss of EMG signals at the input.

Ventilator operable in a bioelectric signal-dependent mode, with automatic switching to another mode upon dropout of the bioelectric signal

Function testing of a ventilator using an EMG or other bioelectric signal representative of the breathing of the patient to control ventilation is enabled by a simulating device for use with a breathing related device for monitoring and/or controlling a patient's breathing, the simulating device including a signal generator for providing a simulated bioelectric compound signal related to the patient's breathing function, and a contact for outputting the simulated bioelectric compound signal. The simulating device can also be used for training purposes and in the development of new ventilators.

Simulator for use with a breathing-assist device

A method and apparatus for filtering an electromyogram (EMG) signal from a raw signal which includes a contribution from an electrocardiogram (EKG) signal is disclosed. The method includes the steps of estimating an attribute (such as a Fourier transform) of both the EMG contribution to the raw signal and the EKG contribution to the raw signal and, dependent on both frequency spectrums, determining an EMG window in a frequency range and obtaining the EMG signal by passing it through a filter defined by the frequency range. The method is particularly used when monitoring a multi-channel electrical recording from a plurality of electrodes attached to a patient's diaphragm.

Method and apparatus for determining an EMG signal

In a method, device and computer program product for extracting an EMG signal out of a raw signal obtained with a number of electrodes, the electrodes being adapted to interact with a patient to obtain signals from the patient's diaphragm on respective channels associated with the electrodes, a signal-to-noise-ratio is determined for the raw signal in each channel, and a weighting factor is automatically determined dependent on the signal-to-noise ratio. The respective raw signals from the channels are weighted according to the weighting factors, and are summed in order to generate a sum signal that represents the total EMG signal contained in all of the raw signals.

Method, device and computer program product for filtering an EMG signal out of a raw signal

In a method and breathing apparatus for assessing pulmonary stress, wherein pressure controlled flow of respiratory gas is generated, an ensuing flow is measured, resistance and compliance are determined based on measured pressure and flow and a stress index value is determined based on pressure, flow, resistance and compliance. The stress index value is 1 when no stress is present, &#x2267;1 when there is a risk for overdistension and &#x2266;1 when alveolar units are at a risk of being cyclically closed and opened. Implemented in a breathing apparatus the method can be used to assist an operator in diagnostic and therapeutic considerations in relation to a patient.

Method and breathing apparatus for assessing pulmonary stress

A valve assembly HAS an element movable in a mechanical journal arrangement relative to a valve opening to establish an opening position of a valve, and A control unit for controlling the application of an oscillatory electromagnetic force to the element (8) having an known peak amplitude to cause the element to execute a sympathetic oscillatory motion as a friction reducing maneuver. The control unit is adapted to control the peak amplitude of the oscillatory electromagnetic force to sequentially apply a number of different peak amplitudes, each during a different measurement period. A monitor detects changes in the opening position of the valve during each of the measurement periods and provides a measure thereof. A processor is connected to the control unit and to the monitor to determine a working amplitude of the oscillatory electromagnetic force at which the detected changes will be minimized and to supply the determined working amplitude to the control unit.

Method for controlling a valve element and valve assembly

In a method for assessing pulmonary stress, a volume of respiratory gas is received from the lungs of a subject, an ensuing pressure is measured and the pressure-volume (P-V) relationship is analyzed. The analysis includes a determination of the profile of the pressure-volume (P-V) relationship. The profile is straight when no stress is present, convex when there is a risk for over-distension and concave when alveolar units are opened up. Implemented in a breathing apparatus the method can be used to assist an operator in diagnostic and therapeutic considerations in relation to a patient.

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Linköping, Sweden

Urban Blomberg