fig1 is a schematic view of a respiratory humidification system 10 including a ventilator 12 , humidifier 14 having a humidification chamber 16 and a patient circuit 18 . it is worth noting that system 10 is one exemplary environment for concepts presented herein . for example , other forms of respiratory therapy can be used with concepts presented herein such as a cpap ( continuous positive airway pressure ) system , invasive system , non - invasive system or other system that may add or remove one or more of the components of system 10 . in the embodiment illustrated , ventilator 12 supplies gases to humidification chamber 16 through an initial tube 20 . humidifier 14 heats water within the chamber 16 which is then output to patient circuit 18 . patient circuit 18 includes an inspiratory breathing tube ( or limb ) 22 , a y - connector 24 and an expiratory breathing tube ( or limb ) 26 . in alternative embodiments , for example in a cpap system , the y - connector 24 and / or expiratory conduit 26 can be eliminated . in other embodiments , humidification chamber 16 can be eliminated . during use , inspiratory tube 22 transmits humidified gases from chamber 16 to a patient through a y - connector 24 . the y - connector 24 can be selectively coupled to a patient interface such as an endotracheal tube . other patient interfaces can include masks , nasal prongs , etc . after breathing in the humidified gases , the patient can exhale , transmitting exhaled gases through expiratory tube 26 back to ventilator 12 . liquid solution is supplied to the chamber 16 from a source 28 , which , in one embodiment comprises a bag of liquid solution ( e . g ., water ) coupled to chamber 16 . inspiratory tube 22 and expiratory tube 26 include heating elements ( e . g . wires ) 30 and 32 , respectively , positioned therein that , when heated , maintains a temperature of gas in the inspiratory tube 22 and / or expiratory tube 26 . humidifier 14 supplies electrical power to elements 30 and 32 through electrical connectors 34 and 36 , respectively . elements 30 and 32 are generally helically shaped and selected with a desired resistance in order to heat humidified gas within tubes 22 and 26 , respectively , to a desired level . additionally , humidifier 14 receives electrical signals from a sensor input connector 38 , interfaced with sensor assemblies 40 and 42 . sensor assembly 40 is positioned within y - connector 24 ( and proximate the patient ) whereas sensor assembly 42 is positioned within inspiratory tube 22 ( and proximate humidification chamber 16 ). if desired , a second sensor input connector 44 can provide further electrical signals to humidifier 14 . connector 44 is coupled to a sensor assembly 46 positioned within expiratory tube 26 , proximate ventilator 12 . other sensor assemblies in various positions can further be provided . sensor assemblies 40 , 42 , and 46 provide one or more measurements to humidifier 14 , such as , temperature , relative humidity and / or flow information of gases within the patient circuit 18 . humidifier 14 uses this information to control power provided to elements 30 and 32 as well as control the temperature of fluid within chamber 16 . in one example , sensor assemblies 40 , 42 , and 46 are identical and measure relative humidity and temperature in order to provide feedback to humidifier 14 indicative of relative humidity and temperature within system 10 . in a further embodiment , information from sensor assemblies 40 , 42 and 46 can also be provided to ventilator 12 for controlling the output of the system 10 . sensor assemblies 40 , 42 , and 46 are sterilized before each use and may be single use ( i . e ., disposable ) or multi - use . in the case of reusable sensor assemblies , it is desirable to utilize reliable and efficient cleaning approaches to maintain safe and sterilized components so as to prevent contamination of patient circuit 18 . in some examples , autoclaving ( which includes high temperature sterilization with pressurized steam cleaning ) is one method commonly used to sterilize sensor assemblies 40 , 42 , and 46 . however , some components within the assemblies 40 , 42 , and 46 can not be sterilized using autoclaves as the process can damage components . thus , other reliable cleaning methods are employed in particular situations . independent of utilizing a single use or multiple use sensor assembly , relative humidity and temperature sensing integrated within the patient circuit 18 and in particular proximate y - connector 24 can be beneficial to patient safety and for precise control of humidifier 14 . for example , hazard conditions such as thermal overshoots , over the limits enthalpy , energy vapor dosage over extended periods , dry chamber protection , no flow due to blockage or to excessive rainout can be monitored and controlled in a timely fashion . the percentage relative humidity information to the humidifier 14 also serves a critical feedback path for humidification dosage optimization in various therapy modes such as manual and standard modes . other benefits include data logging of percent relative humidity vs . temperature over time , thermal overshoot tracking and direct real time polling of miscellaneous measurements within the close proximity to the patient . as provided below , the sensor assemblies 40 , 42 , and 46 of system 10 apply high frequency oscillations to a sensing element therein so as to break away particles that contact a sensor surface . to achieve a high frequency oscillatory cycle , the sensing element is mounted to a cantilever vane capable of producing short rapid oscillations that produce shockwaves to dislodge particulates and water droplets from the sensor surface , leaving it clean to maintain reliable , accurate and repeatable sensing levels within calibrated response limits . moreover , the oscillations can be utilized in a cleaning cycle to dry and / or remove contaminants from the sensor assemblies , for example post therapy session in an idle mode . mechanical shockwave energy induced onto the sensor surface through oscillatory motion transforms rapidly reversing potential energy into kinetic energy creating moment of inertia to break away particulates before they become a permanent adhesion on a surface of the sensor assemblies 40 , 42 , and 46 . fig2 is a schematic , sectional view of a sensor assembly 100 positioned within an airway 102 configured to actuate for reduction of contamination build - up thereon . sensor assembly 100 can be used in fig1 as one or more of sensor assemblies 40 , 42 and 46 , wherein airway 102 can be inspiratory tube 22 , y - connector 24 and / or expiratory tube 26 . sensor assembly 100 includes an assembly housing 104 , a flexible seal 106 coupled to the assembly housing 104 and a sensing element housing 108 maintaining a sensing element 110 . assembly housing 104 is positioned outside the airway 102 , whereas seal 106 , sensing element housing 108 and sensing element 110 are positioned within the airway 102 to receive airflow , indicated by arrow ‘ a ’. assembly housing 104 maintains a plurality of electrical connectors 112 ( including connectors 112 a - e ) and a mounting element comprising a beam 114 configured to couple an actuator 116 ( e . g ., a piezoelectric actuator ) and a printed circuit board ( pcb ) 118 to assembly housing 104 . connectors 112 are electrically coupled to a controller 119 that is configured to provide signals to and / or from the connectors 112 . in one embodiment , controller 119 is part of humidifier 14 , electrically coupled to connectors 112 through a cable ( e . g ., electrical connectors 38 and 44 ). seal 106 , in one embodiment , is a duckbill - type seal ( e . g ., as used on a trocar ) configured to seal the actuator 116 and pcb 118 as well as provide flexibility to deflect upon operation of actuator 116 . sensing element 110 can be formed of a capacitive or resistive membrane to sense relative humidity of gas within airway 102 and may further include a thermal sensing element such as a resistive temperature detector ( rtd ) or thermistor . suitable sensing elements can be obtained from vendors such as honeywell and sensirion . pcb 118 is coupled to sensing element housing 108 ( e . g ., through a mechanical bond ) and is further electrically coupled to sensing element 110 through an electrical connector 120 ( e . g ., solder , pins ). in one embodiment , pcb 118 also includes a liquid resistant coating 122 ( e . g ., formed of paralyne ) to protect the pcb 118 . connectors 112 a and 112 e are electrically coupled to actuator 116 . as discussed below , connectors 112 a and 112 e provide drive signals to actuator 116 , ultimately causing pcb 118 , sensing element housing 108 and sensing element 110 to oscillate within airway 102 . connectors 112 b , 112 c and 112 d are electrically coupled to pcb 118 and sensing element 110 . collectively , connectors 112 b - d provide power to components on pcb 118 and sensing element 110 . moreover , connectors 112 b - d provide signals ( e . g , to controller 119 ) indicative of measurements made by sensing element 110 . thus , sensor assembly 100 includes at least a first connector ( e . g ., connectors 112 b - d ) electrically coupled to sensing element 110 and at least a second connector ( e . g ., connectors 112 a and 112 e ) electrically coupled to actuator 116 . controller 119 can include an oscillator to provide driving forces to actuator 116 , for example a voltage to generate a force within actuator 116 . actuator 116 is configured to oscillate sensing element housing 108 so as to prevent build up of contamination on the housing 108 and / or sensing element 110 . in one embodiment , actuator 116 is an electro - mechanical transducer that possesses high motion and voltage sensitivity . as illustrated in fig2 , actuator 116 is a sandwich - like structure in which two thin piezoelectric ceramic elements 124 and 126 are bonded to a cantilevered center support vane 128 and positioned on the top and bottom of pcb 118 . vane 128 provides mechanical integrity and built - in leverage to amplify the motion and electrical output of the piezoelectric elements 124 and 126 . in one embodiment , vane 128 forms a u - shaped channel so as to accommodate pcb 118 therein and surround pcb 118 on opposite sides . vane 128 can be formed of various suitable materials such as brass , stainless steel , and / or an alloy , for example . elements 124 and 126 are electrically coupled to electrical connectors 112 a and 112 e , respectively . when an electric drive signal is applied via connectors 112 a and 112 e to elements 124 and 126 , one ceramic element ( e . g ., element 124 ) expands laterally and the other element ( e . g ., element 126 ) contracts laterally . this opposing strain results in a bending or deflection of actuator 116 ( thus providing deflection of sensing element 110 ) that is proportional to the voltage applied using electrical connectors 112 a and 112 e . actuator 116 can generate large displacements and moderate forces at low levels of electrical drive . the resonant frequency to drive the actuator 116 is proportional to the dimensional characteristics of the piezoelectric elements 124 and 126 and serves to provide mechanical movement to pcb 118 , sensing element housing 108 and sensing element 110 . as discussed above , particulate contamination can cause sensor failures and performance degradation . by employing actuator 116 to eliminate particle accumulation on sensing element 110 , particulate contamination can be reduced . in particular , the sensor assembly 100 can be subject to high frequency oscillations introduced through actuator 116 that creates a continuous reversing potential energy , inducing an accelerated moment of inertia and kinetic energy within the particulates , thus breaking away their adhesion from the sensing element 110 . thus , the sensor assembly 100 is left clean and clearly exposed for repeatability and accuracy of sensing desired parameters . although the present disclosure has been described with reference to preferred embodiments , workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes can be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure .
a sensor assembly includes a sensing element and an actuator . the sensing element measures a parameter associated with gas in an airway . the actuator actuates the sensing element to prevent contamination build up on the sensing element .