Pressure and Volume Control of a Non-invasive Mechanical Ventilator: a PI and LQR Approach

Many studies in recent years have been focused on treating diseases caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, such as the Covid-19 disease. In this regard, the development of mechanical ventilation systems became very important for the care of patients with moderate symptoms caused by the virus. Most of the works developed used the non invasive mechanical ventilation system, since this is rapidly assembled and replicated. This work is centered on automating the manual Bag-Valve-Mask (BVM) ventilation of the Emergency Mechanical Ventilator for ICU (UTEC-AE EMV-ICU). For this purpose, it is necessary to implement a satisfactory control system to reach the adequate volume or pressure for patients. The control system implemented for the UTEC-AE EMV-ICU is based on LQR method for the three non-invasive ventilation modes (volumen controlled ventilation, pressure controlled ventilation, and assisted ventilation). The LQR control system of the UTEC-AE EMV-ICU was tested in an artificial lung where the obtained results were compared and discussed with the obtained results from a PI control system.