Volume Control of Low-Cost Ventilator with Automatic Set-Point Adaptation

TL;DR

This paper presents an adaptive control method for low-cost ventilators using sensor feedback to automatically adjust set-points, improving tidal volume tracking across different patient setups and configurations.

Contribution

It introduces a novel set-point adaptation algorithm that enhances the performance of low-cost ventilators by automatically tuning to individual patient needs and hardware variations.

Findings

Adaptive control improves tidal volume accuracy.

Sensor-based set-point adaptation enhances ventilator performance.

The approach is effective across various hardware configurations.

Abstract

This paper considers the control design for a low-cost ventilator that is based on a manual resuscitator bag (also known as AmbuBag) to pump air into the lungs of a patient who is physically unable to breathe. First, it experimentally shows that for accurately tracking tidal volumes, the controller needs to be adapted to the individual patient and the different configurations, e.g., hardware or operation modes. Second, it proposes a set-point adaptation algorithm that uses sensor measurements of a flow meter to automatically adapt the controller to the setup at hand. Third, it experimentally shows that such an adaptive solution improves the performance of the ventilator for various setups. One objective of this paper is to increase awareness of the need for feedback control using sensor measurements in low-cost ventilator solutions in order to automatically adapt to the specific scenario.