POWER SUPPLY FOR RESPIRATORY THERAPY DEVICE

• US 20190117919A1
• Filed: 05/11/2017
• Published: 04/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ResMed Pty Ltd. (ResMed Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Resmed Limited (ResMed Incorporated)
• Inventors: Panarello, Adam, Boehm, David Paul, Vos, Adrian Ashley, Wong, Siyin
• Granted Patent: US 11,571,534 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/00 Devices for influencing the respiratory system of patients by gas treatment, e.g. mouth-to-mouth respiration; Tracheal tubes stimulating the respiratory movement by mechanical, pneumatic or electrical means, iron lungs combined with gas breathing means A61H31/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/0003 Accessories therefor, e.g. sensors, vibrators, negative pressure
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8206 battery-operated
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 2205/8237 Charging means
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2207/20 Charging or discharging characterised by the power electronics converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/23 The load being a medical device, a medical implant, or a life supporting device
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00302 Overcharge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00304 Overcurrent protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00306 Overdischarge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00308 Overvoltage protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00309 Overheat or overtemperature protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0068 Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply H02J7/0013 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/005 using a power saving mode for copiers G03G15/5004
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/061 for DC powered loads
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A respiratory therapy device generates a flow of breathable gas for therapy. The apparatus may include a flow generator in a housing to generate the breathable gas flow. The flow generator may have an operating voltage for such operations. The device may include a battery pack that is engageable with the housing. The battery pack may be configured to power the flow generator and may include a stand-by circuit configured to switch between stand-by and operating modes. The stand-by circuit may be configured to provide a stand-by operations voltage while in the stand-by mode that is less than an operating voltage of the flow generator and may be configured to detect current demand of the flow generator with the stand-by operations voltage while in stand-by mode such as for enabling an increase voltage from the battery pack to produce the operating voltage in the operating mode for the flow generator.

Claims

1. A respiratory therapy device to generate a flow of breathable gas to a patient, comprising:

a housing;

a flow generator in the housing to generate the flow of breathable gas, the flow generator having an operating voltage; and

a battery pack engageable with the housing, the battery pack configured to power the flow generator,

wherein the battery pack includes a stand-by circuit configured to switch between a stand-by mode and an operating mode.

2. The respiratory therapy device of claim 1 wherein the stand-by circuit is configured to provide a stand-by operations voltage while in the stand-by mode that is less than an operating voltage of the flow generator.

3. The respiratory therapy device of claim 2 wherein the stand-by circuit is configured to detect current demand of the flow generator with the stand-by operations voltage while in stand-by mode.

4. The respiratory therapy device of claim 3 wherein the flow generator further comprises a current control circuit and a switch, the current control circuit providing a controlled current upon activation of the switch.

5. The respiratory therapy device of claim 4 wherein the battery pack further includes a converter to convert a voltage of the battery pack to an operating voltage of the flow generator.

6. The respiratory therapy device of claim 5 wherein the stand-by circuit is configured to enable the converter upon detection of the controlled current of the flow generator.

7. The respiratory therapy device of any one of claims 5 to 6 wherein the converter is a direct current to direct current (DC/DC) converter configured to increase voltage of the battery pack to the operating voltage of the flow generator.

8. The respiratory therapy device of any one of claims 5 to 7 wherein the stand-by circuit is configured to enable the converter upon detection of the controlled current from the flow generator that exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

9. The respiratory therapy device of any one of claims 5 to 8 wherein the stand-by circuit is configured to enable the converter upon detection of the controlled current from the flow generator that exceeds a predetermined threshold value for a predetermined period of time.

10. The respiratory therapy device of any one of claims 1-9 wherein the battery pack further comprises a microprocessor.

11. The respiratory therapy device of any one of claims 2 to 10 wherein the stand-by circuit further comprises a voltage window detector to detect current demand of the flow generator with the stand-by operations voltage while in stand-by mode.

12. The respiratory therapy device of any one of claims 10 to 11 wherein the stand-by circuit is configured to provide the microprocessor with an internal power signal to activate the microprocessor.

13. The respiratory therapy device of any one of claims 10 to 11 wherein the stand-by circuit is configured to provide the microprocessor with an internal power signal to activate the microprocessor to evaluate the detected current demand before activation of the operating mode.

14. The respiratory therapy device of claim 13 wherein the microprocessor, upon activation, determines whether the controlled current from the flow generator exceeds the predetermined threshold value for a predetermined time period;

and

upon determining the controlled current exceeds the predetermined threshold value for the predetermined time period, activates the converter for the operating mode.

15. The respiratory therapy device of any one of claims 13 to 14 wherein the microprocessor, upon activation, determines whether the controlled current from the flow generator exceeds the predetermined threshold value for a predetermined time period;

and

upon determining the controlled current does not exceed the predetermined threshold value for the predetermined time period, triggers deactivation of the microprocessor.

16. The respiratory therapy device of any one of claims 11 to 12 wherein the stand-by circuit comprises a high side current mirror circuit for providing the detected current demand to the voltage window detector.

17. The respiratory therapy device of any one of claims 2 to 15 wherein the flow generator comprises an under-voltage lock-out circuit configured to disable the flow generator when the battery pack generates the stand-by operations voltage at an input to the under-voltage lock-out circuit.

18. The respiratory therapy device of claim 17 wherein the under-voltage lock-out circuit is configured to enable the flow generator when the battery pack generates a higher voltage than the stand-by operations voltage at the input to the under-voltage lock-out circuit.

19. The respiratory therapy device of any one of claims 1 to 17 wherein the flow generator comprises a controller configured to control the flow generator to generate a positive airway pressure therapy.

20. A battery pack for a respiratory therapy device that generates a flow of breathable gas to a patient, the battery pack comprising;

a battery housing for insertion into a flow generator housing;

a cell within the battery housing for producing a voltage;

a converter to convert the voltage from the cell to an operating voltage for the respiratory therapy device;

an output connector of the battery pack configured to provide the operating voltage to an input connector of the flow generator; and

a stand-by circuit coupled to the battery pack.

21. The battery pack of claim 20 wherein the stand-by circuit is configured with a stand-by mode in which the stand-by circuit provides a stand-by operations voltage to the output connector that is less than the operating voltage of the flow generator.

22. The battery pack of any one of claim 21 wherein the stand-by circuit is configured in the stand-by mode to detect current demand of the flow generator at the output connector with the stand-by operations voltage.

23. The battery pack of any one of claims 21 to 22 wherein the stand-by circuit is configured to disable the converter in the stand-by mode.

24. The battery pack of any one of claims 21 to 22 wherein the stand-by circuit is configured to enable the converter upon detection of a controlled current at the output connector of the flow generator with the stand-by operations voltage.

25. The battery pack of any one of claims 20 to 24 wherein the converter is a direct current to direct current (DC/DC) converter configured to increase the voltage of the battery pack to the operating voltage of the flow generator.

26. The battery pack of any one of claims 20 to 25 wherein the stand-by circuit is configured to enable the converter upon detection of a controlled current at the output connector that exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

27. The battery pack of any one of claims 20 to 25 wherein the stand-by circuit is configured to enable the converter upon detection of a controlled current at the output connector that exceeds a predetermined threshold value for a predetermined period of time.

28. The battery pack of any one of claims 20 to 27 wherein the stand-by circuit comprises a high side current mirror circuit.