1. A method of setting expiratory time in controlled mechanical ventilation, comprising:
setting a subject’s expiratory time based on at least one or more of the following:
said subject’s natural exhalation time;
when said subject’s natural exhalation flow ceases; or
when said subject’s tidal volume is expired.
2. A method of setting expiratory time in controlled mechanical ventilation, comprising:
determining at least one or more of the following:
a subject’s natural exhalation time;
when said subject’s natural exhalation flow ceases; or
when said subject’s tidal volume is expired; and
setting said subject’s expiratory time based on said determination.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein said expiratory time is set equal to at least one or more of the following:
said natural exhalation time;
when said natural exhalation flow ceases; or
when said tidal volume is expired.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein said expiratory time is set substantially equal to at least one or more of the following:
said natural exhalation time;
when said natural exhalation flow ceases; or
when said tidal volume is expired.
5. The method of claim 2, wherein said expiratory time is set greater than or equal to at least one or more of the following:
said natural exhalation time;
when said natural exhalation flow ceases; or
when said tidal volume is expired.
6. The method of claim 2, wherein said determination is based, at least in part, on a flow sensor.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein said flow rate sensor is selected from a group consisting of a spirometer, anemometer, thermal anemometer, pneumotachometer, and ultrasound flow sensor.
8. The method of claim 6, wherein said flow rate sensor determines said subject’s breathing gas flow rate.
9. The method of claim 2, wherein said determination is based, at least in part, on effects of gas movement in said subject’s airways.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein said effects are determined, at least in part, by one or more of the following:
acoustic analysis of said subject;
vibration analysis of said subject;
airway pressure analysis of said subject;
capnographic morphology analysis of said subject; and
respiratory mechanics analysis of said subject.
11. The method of claim 2, wherein said determination is based, at least in part, on thoracic excursion of said subject corresponding to said subject’s lung volume.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein said thoracic excursion comprises one or more of the following:
imaging said subject;
plethysmographic analysis of said subject; and
electrical impedance tomography analysis of said subject.
13. The method of claim 2, further comprising displaying at least one or more of the following on a monitor:
said natural exhalation time;
when said natural exhalation flow ceases;
when said tidal volume is expired; or
said expiratory time.
14. The method of claim 13, wherein said monitor is at least one of a handheld or portable device or both.
15. A device for use in controlled mechanical ventilation, comprising:
a flow rate sensor configured to determine at least one or more of the following and base said subject’s expiratory time on said determination:
said subject’s natural exhalation time;
when said subject’s natural exhalation flow ceases; or
when said subject’s tidal volume is expired.
16. The device of claim 15, wherein said flow rate sensor is selected from a group consisting of a spirometer, anemometer, thermal anemometer, pneumotachometer, and ultrasound flow sensor.
17. The device of claim 15, wherein said flow rate sensor determines said subject’s breathing gas flow rate.
18. The device of claim 15, further comprising:
circuitry operable in conjunction with said flow rate sensor configured to set said expiratory time based on said determination.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A load driving device comprising:
an internal circuit which operates by being fed with a supply voltage;
an output circuit which drives a load by being fed with the supply voltage;
a fault detection circuit which monitors the supply voltage to generate a fault detection signal; and
a power switch which connectsdisconnects a supply voltage feed line leading to the internal circuit according to the fault detection signal.
2. The load driving device according to claim 1, wherein the internal circuit includes a driving circuit which feeds the output circuit with a driving signal.
3. The load driving device according to claim 2, further comprising a pull-down resistor which is connected between a supply voltage input node of the internal circuit and a grounded node.
4. The load driving device according to claim 3, wherein the output circuit includes a p-type upper transistor which is connected between a supply voltage node and an output node.
5. The load driving device according to claim 4, further comprising a first upper switch which connectsdisconnects between a gate of the upper transistor and the supply voltage node according to the fault detection signal.
6. The load driving device according to claim 5, further comprising a second upper switch which connectsdisconnects between the gate of the upper transistor and the driving circuit according to the fault detection signal.
7. The load driving device according to claim 4, wherein the output circuit includes an n-type lower transistor which is connected between the grounded node and the output node.
8. The load driving device according to claim 7, further comprising a first lower switch which connectsdisconnects between a gate of the lower transistor and the grounded node according to the fault detection signal.
9. The load driving device according to claim 8, further comprising a second lower switch which connectsdisconnects between the gate of the lower transistor and the driving circuit according to the fault detection signal.
10. The load driving device according to claim 1, wherein
the internal circuit includes a first internal circuit which operates by receiving a first supply voltage and a second internal circuit which operates by receiving a second supply voltage lower than the first supply voltage; and
the output circuit includes a first output circuit which drives a first load by receiving the first supply voltage and a second output circuit which drives a second load by receiving the second supply voltage.
11. The load driving device according to claim 10, wherein the fault detection circuit includes
a first overvoltage detector which monitors the first supply voltage to generate a first overvoltage detection signal,
a second overvoltage detector which monitors the second supply voltage to generate a second overvoltage detection signal, and
a fault detection signal generator which generates the fault detection signal based on the first and second overvoltage detection signals.
12. The load driving device according to claim 11, wherein
the first overvoltage detector includes a first comparator which generates the first overvoltage detection signal by comparing the first supply voltage with a first overvoltage detection voltage, and
the second overvoltage detector includes a second comparator which generates the second overvoltage detection signal by comparing the second supply voltage with a second overvoltage detection voltage.
13. The load driving device according to claim 11, further comprising a first level shifter which shifts a signal level of, and then feeds to the fault detection signal generator, the first overvoltage detection signal.
14. The load driving device according to claim 13, wherein the first level shifter includes
a transistor of which
a drain is connected to a node to which the first supply voltage is applied and
a gate is connected to a node to which the first overvoltage detection signal is applied,
a current source which is connected between a source of the transistor and the grounded node, and
an inverter of which
an input node is connected to the source of the transistor,
an output node is connected to the fault detection signal generator,
a first supply voltage node is connected to a node to which the second supply voltage is applied, and
a second supply voltage node is connected to the grounded node.
15. The load driving device according to claim 11, wherein
the fault detection circuit further includes an undervoltage detector which monitors the first supply voltage to generate an undervoltage detection signal, and
the fault detection signal generator generates the fault detection signal based on the first overvoltage detection signal, the second overvoltage detection signal, and the undervoltage detection signal.
16. The load driving device according to claim 15, wherein the undervoltage detector generates the undervoltage detection signal by comparing the first supply voltage with an undervoltage detection voltage.
17. The load driving device according to claim 1, further comprising a second level shifter which shifts a signal level of the fault detection signal.
18. The load driving device according to claim 17, wherein the second level shifter shifts the signal level of the fault detection signal from a state where the fault detection signal pulsates between the second supply voltage and a ground voltage to a state where the fault detection signal pulsates between the first supply voltage and a first compensated supply voltage which is lower than the first supply voltage by a predetermined value or to a state where the fault detection signal pulsates between the second supply voltage and a second compensated supply voltage which is lower than the second supply voltage by a predetermined value.
19. The load driving device according to claim 18, further comprising a compensated supply voltage generator which generates from the first or second supply voltage, and feeds to the second level shifter, the first or second compensated supply voltage.
20. The load driving device according to claim 19, wherein the compensated supply voltage generator includes
a first transistor of which
a source is connected to a node to which the first or second compensated supply voltage is applied and
a drain is connected to the grounded node,
a second transistor of which an emitter is commented to a gate of the first transistor,
a zener diode of which
an anode is connected to a base and a collector of the second transistor and
a cathode is connected to the node to which the first or second supply voltage is applied,
a first resistor which is connected between the source of the first transistor and the node to which the first or second supply voltage is applied, and
a second resistor which is connected between the emitter of the second transistor and the grounded node.
21. An electronic device comprising the load driving device according to claim 1 and a load driven by the load driving device.
22. The electronic device according to claim 21, wherein
the electronic device is an optical disc drive which is incorporated in a computer for playback from, or for recording to and playback from, an optical disc, and
the load is at least one of a spindle motor, a sled motor, a loading motor, a focus actuator, a tracking actuator, and a tilt actuator.