APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING POSITIVE AIRWAY PRESSURE
First Claim
1. An apparatus for providing a breathing gas to a user, including:
- a headgear unit, including;
a breathing interface;
an adjustable structure adapted to suitably fit the headgear unit to the user'"'"'s head with the breathing interface disposed in operative relation to the user'"'"'s facial area;
a blower motor assembly releasably attached to the adjustable structure positioning the assembly at the crown of or at a posterior portion of the user'"'"'s head or neck; and
a plenum with a first end coupled to the breathing interface and an opposite end coupled to the blower motor assembly, the blower motor assembly, plenum, and breathing interface forming a breathing gas flow path; and
a control unit in operative communication with the headgear unit to selectively control operation of the blower motor assembly based at least in part on a desired pressure for the breathing gas;
wherein operation of the blower motor assembly provides the breathing gas to at least one user airway at an adjustable positive pressure via the breathing gas flow path.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for providing a breathing gas to a user may include: a headgear unit and a control unit. The headgear unit may include: a breathing interface, an adjustable structure to fit the headgear unit to the user'"'"'s head with the breathing interface disposed in relation to the user'"'"'s facial area, a blower motor assembly attached to the adjustable structure, and a plenum coupled to the breathing interface and the blower motor assembly to form a breathing gas flow path. The control unit controlling operation of the blower motor assembly based on a desired pressure for the breathing gas. Operation of the blower motor assembly provides the breathing gas to a user airway at an adjustable positive pressure via the breathing gas flow path. Additional embodiments of the apparatus and various embodiments of a related method are also provided herein.
-
Citations
23 Claims
-
1. An apparatus for providing a breathing gas to a user, including:
-
a headgear unit, including; a breathing interface; an adjustable structure adapted to suitably fit the headgear unit to the user'"'"'s head with the breathing interface disposed in operative relation to the user'"'"'s facial area; a blower motor assembly releasably attached to the adjustable structure positioning the assembly at the crown of or at a posterior portion of the user'"'"'s head or neck; and a plenum with a first end coupled to the breathing interface and an opposite end coupled to the blower motor assembly, the blower motor assembly, plenum, and breathing interface forming a breathing gas flow path; and a control unit in operative communication with the headgear unit to selectively control operation of the blower motor assembly based at least in part on a desired pressure for the breathing gas; wherein operation of the blower motor assembly provides the breathing gas to at least one user airway at an adjustable positive pressure via the breathing gas flow path. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
-
-
18. A method for providing a breathing gas to a user, including:
-
a) releasably attaching a blower motor assembly to an adjustable structure of a headgear unit positioning the assembly at the crown of or at a posterior portion of the user'"'"'s head or neck; b) coupling a first end of a plenum to a breathing interface and an opposite end to the blower motor assembly to form a breathing gas flow path; c) adjusting the adjustable structure to suitably fit the headgear unit to the user'"'"'s head with the breathing interface disposed in operative relation to the user'"'"'s facial area; d) sensing a first characteristic associated with the breathing gas; and e) selectively controlling operation of the blower motor assembly in closed loop control fashion based at least in part on a desired pressure for the breathing gas and the first sensed characteristic to provide the breathing gas to at least one user airway at an adjustable positive pressure via the breathing gas flow path. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22)
-
-
23. An apparatus for providing a breathing gas to a user, including:
-
a headgear unit, including;
i) a breathing interface, ii) an adjustable structure adapted to suitably fit the headgear unit to the user'"'"'s head with the breathing interface disposed in operative relation to the user'"'"'s facial area, iii) a blower motor assembly releasably attached to the adjustable structure, and iv) a plenum with a first end coupled to the breathing interface and an opposite end coupled to the blower motor assembly, the blower motor assembly, plenum, and breathing interface forming a breathing gas flow path; anda control unit in operative communication with the headgear unit, the control unit including;
i) a first sensor in operative communication with the breathing gas flow path to sense a first characteristic associated with the breathing gas, ii) a closed loop control logic in operative communication with the first sensor and the blower motor assembly to selectively control operation of the blower motor assembly based at least in part on a desired pressure for the breathing gas and the first sensed characteristic, and iii) a desired pressure logic in operative communication with the first sensor and the closed loop control logic, the desired pressure logic detecting inhalation and exhalation periods of user breathing cycles based at least in part on the first sensed characteristic, wherein the desired pressure logic is adapted to adjust the desired pressure in relation to the detected inhalation and exhalation periods;wherein operation of the blower motor assembly provides the breathing gas to at least one user airway at an adjustable positive pressure via the breathing gas flow path.
-
Specification