SYSTEM AND METHOD OF OXYGEN DEFICIENCY WARNING IN A POWERED AIR PURIFYING RESPIRATOR

• US 20130174845A1
• Filed: 01/09/2012
• Published: 07/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: Palacharla, Praveen Kumar, Patil, Swapnil Gopal, Vinnakota, Vinay Kumar
• Granted Patent: US 9,808,656 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 128/204.22
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/06 Respiratory or anaesthetic masks
• CPC Class Codes: A62B 18/006 with pumps for forced ventilation A62B18/045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A62B 9/006 Indicators or warning devices, e.g. of low pressure, contamination

Abstract

A powered air purifying respirator (PAPR). The PAPR comprises an electric motor mechanically coupled to a blower, an oxygen sensor, an alarm device, and a controller coupled to the oxygen sensor and to the electric motor, wherein the controller controls the electric motor, wherein the controller determines if the oxygen concentration is deficient, and wherein the controller commands the alarm device to present an indication when the oxygen concentration is deficient.

Claims

1. A powered air purifying respirator (PAPR), comprising:

an electric motor mechanically coupled to a blower;

an oxygen sensor;

an alarm device; and

a controller coupled to the oxygen sensor and to the electric motor, wherein the controller controls the electric motor, wherein the controller determines if the oxygen concentration is deficient, and wherein the controller commands the alarm device to present an indication when the oxygen concentration is deficient.

2. The PAPR of claim 1, wherein the alarm device comprises at least one of a vibrator device, an aural tone generating device, a visual display device, or a light device.

3. The PAPR of claim 1, further comprising an event store coupled to the controller, wherein the controller writes a record into the event store when it determines the oxygen concentration is deficient.

4. The PAPR of claim 1, wherein the controller determines if the oxygen concentration is deficient at least partly based on altitude.

5. The PAPR of claim 4, wherein the altitude is preconfigured into the PAPR before use.

6. The PAPR of claim 4, further comprising an altitude sensor coupled to the controller, wherein the altitude is determined by the controller by analyzing an indication of altitude provided by the altitude sensor.

7. The PAPR of claim 4, further comprising a global positioning system (GPS) receiver coupled to the controller, wherein the altitude is provided to the controller by the global positioning system receiver.

8. A powered air purifying respirator (PAPR), comprising:

an electric motor mechanically coupled to a blower;

an oxygen sensor;

an alarm device;

an event store; and

a controller coupled to the oxygen sensor, to the alarm device, to the event store, and to the electric motor, wherein the controller controls the electric motor, wherein the controller receives an indication of an oxygen concentration from the oxygen sensor, wherein the controller determines if the oxygen concentration is deficient based on the indication of the oxygen concentration, wherein the controller commands the alarm device to present an indication and writes a record in the event store when it determines the oxygen concentration is deficient.

9. The PAPR of claim 8, wherein the record the controller writes in the event store comprises the indication of the oxygen concentration.

10. The PAPR of claim 9, wherein the record the controller writes in the event store comprises an indication of date and time at which the record is generated.

11. The PAPR of claim 10, wherein the record the controller writes in the event store comprises an indication of an identity of a user of the PAPR.

12. The PAPR of claim 8, wherein the alarm device presents a vibration indication.

13. The PAPR of claim 8, wherein the alarm device presents an aural tone indication.

14. The PAPR of claim 8, wherein the alarm device presents a visible indication.

15. A method of operating a powered air purifying respirator (PAPR), comprising:

powering on the PAPR;

receiving an indication of oxygen concentration by an electronic controller;

determining that the oxygen concentration is below a pre-defined threshold by the electronic controller; and

presenting an indication of oxygen concentration deficiency.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising configuring an altitude parameter into the PAPR, wherein determining that the oxygen concentration is below the pre-defined threshold comprises selecting the pre-defined threshold from among a plurality of pre-defined thresholds based on the altitude parameter.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving an indication of altitude from one of an altitude sensor or a global positioning system (GPS) receiver, wherein determining that the oxygen concentration is below the pre-defined threshold comprises selecting the pre-defined threshold from among a plurality of pre-defined thresholds based on the indication of altitude.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein presenting the indication of oxygen concentration deficiency comprises at least one of presenting an aural tone, vibrating, presenting an alerting light, presenting a textual indication on a display screen, or presenting a graphical indication on a display screen.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising writing a record into an event store by the electronic controller, wherein the record comprises information about an oxygen deficiency event.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising performing accident causal analysis based at least in part on examining the contents of the event store.