Robust Flow Control in a Mechatronic Test Lung with Spontaneous Breathing

To systematically evaluate mechanical ventilators and their automation concepts, test lungs can be used in hardware-in-the-loop (HiL) simulations. However, most test lungs do not simulate lungs with spontaneous breathing. This study presents a mechatronic test lung that consists of a bellow and a voice coil actuator. After modeling and parameter estimation, the model was used for the synthesis of a robust controller. The whole system was validated with a reference lung model and recorded measurement data of volume flow. The model identification resulted in a root-mean-square error (RMSE) of $\mathbf{0.96} \mathbf{~ m m}$. The controller achieved a maximum RMSE of 0.062 liters per second and a relative compliance error of $5.88 \%$. The test lung has the potential to enable HiL simulations of mechanical ventilation with spontaneous breathing.