Piston actuated, pilot valve operated breathing regulator
First Claim
1. A device for the regulation of a user'"'"'s breathing from a source of pressurized gas, comprising:
- a housing having passage means for conducting said pressurized gas to said user;
a valve body in said housing, said valve body having a pressurized gas inlet and a gas outlet, said outlet communicating with said passage means;
a first pressurization chamber in said body, communicating with said inlet;
valving means, moveable within said body, for controllably opening and closing said outlet, said valving means having first and second surfaces, said first surface confronting said first chamber, said second surface having a larger area than said first surface;
a second pressurization chamber communicating with said first pressurization chamber, said second surface of said valving means confronting said second chamber, said valving means being moveable in opposite directions within said body in response to the force differential between said first and second surfaces so that said valving means closes said gas outlet when the force on said second surface, equal to the pressure on said second surface times the area of said second surface, is greater than the force on said first surface, equal to the pressure on said first surface times the area of said first surface, thus closing said gas outlet when the pressures in said first and second pressurization chambers are equal, and said valving means opens said gas outlet when the force on said first surface is greater than the force on said second surface;
a pilot valve having pilot passage means for venting gas from said second chamber to reduce the pressure in said second chamber with respect to the pressure in said first chamber so that said valving means opens said outlet;
pilot passage closure means, slideably moveable between a first position and a second position, for closing said pilot passage means in said first position and opening said pilot passage means in said second position;
pilot valve actuating means, attached to said pilot passage closure means, and forming a pressure interface between the interior and exterior of said housing, for moving said closure means from said first position to said second position in response to an inhalation-induced reduction in pressure on the interior side of said interface with respect to the pressure on the exterior side of said interface; and
exhalation outlet means from said housing.
0 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A breathing regulator includes a pressure-responsive piston which acts directly on a valve seat to open a pressurized gas pilot valve during inhalation. The same piston provides an outlet for exhalation. The piston is moved to open the pilot valve by inhalation suction. A one-way valve automatically blocks the exhalation path during inhalation. The outlet for the pressurized gas provides an injector nozzle effect to reduce the effort required to actuate the valve during inhalation. The preferred embodiment of the invention incorporates the regulator in a resuscitator or respirator for medical applications. In this embodiment, a mechanism is included for controlling the amount of inhalation back pressure in the patient'"'"'s air passages which will close the pressurized gas valve and open the exhaust passage in the regulator. This mechanism includes an adjustable spring-loaded pressure plate on the external side of the piston. The inhalation pressure adjusting mechanism also provides for positive end expiratory pressure. In another embodiment, the basic regulator is adapted for use as a breathing regulator for high altitude aviation. In this embodiment, the invention includes aneroid bellows which close an ambient air inlet when a predetermined altitude is reached, so that breathing is exclusively from a pressurized gas source. The aviation embodiment also provides for pressurized breathing.
-
Citations
74 Claims
-
1. A device for the regulation of a user'"'"'s breathing from a source of pressurized gas, comprising:
-
a housing having passage means for conducting said pressurized gas to said user; a valve body in said housing, said valve body having a pressurized gas inlet and a gas outlet, said outlet communicating with said passage means; a first pressurization chamber in said body, communicating with said inlet; valving means, moveable within said body, for controllably opening and closing said outlet, said valving means having first and second surfaces, said first surface confronting said first chamber, said second surface having a larger area than said first surface; a second pressurization chamber communicating with said first pressurization chamber, said second surface of said valving means confronting said second chamber, said valving means being moveable in opposite directions within said body in response to the force differential between said first and second surfaces so that said valving means closes said gas outlet when the force on said second surface, equal to the pressure on said second surface times the area of said second surface, is greater than the force on said first surface, equal to the pressure on said first surface times the area of said first surface, thus closing said gas outlet when the pressures in said first and second pressurization chambers are equal, and said valving means opens said gas outlet when the force on said first surface is greater than the force on said second surface; a pilot valve having pilot passage means for venting gas from said second chamber to reduce the pressure in said second chamber with respect to the pressure in said first chamber so that said valving means opens said outlet; pilot passage closure means, slideably moveable between a first position and a second position, for closing said pilot passage means in said first position and opening said pilot passage means in said second position; pilot valve actuating means, attached to said pilot passage closure means, and forming a pressure interface between the interior and exterior of said housing, for moving said closure means from said first position to said second position in response to an inhalation-induced reduction in pressure on the interior side of said interface with respect to the pressure on the exterior side of said interface; and exhalation outlet means from said housing. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
-
-
18. A device for regulating a user'"'"'s breathing from a source of pressurized gas, comprising:
-
a housing having passage means for conducting said pressurized gas to said user; a valve body in said housing and having an inlet and an outlet for said pressurized gas, said outlet communicating with said passage means; main valving means moveable within said valve body, for opening and closing said outlet; pilot valving means, slideably moveable between an open and a closed position, for controllably actuating said main valving means against the force of said pressurized gas; pressure-responsive means, attached to the low pressure side of said pilot valving means and providing a pressure interface between the interior and exterior of said housing, for moving said pilot valving means to said open position when the pressure on the interior side of said interface drops below the pressure on the exterior side of said interface by a first predetermined amount; means for moving said pilot valving means to said closed position when the pressure on the interior side of said pressure interface rises by a second predetermined amount in response to an increase in pressure in said passage means as a result of the end of inhalation; and pressurization means, engageable with the exterior side of said pressure interface, for adjutably applying a pressure to said exterior side to vary said second predetermined amount of pressure. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
-
-
28. In a device for the regulation of a user'"'"'s breathing from a source of pressurized gas, of the type having a housing which includes a passage for conducting said pressurized gas from said source to said user, said passage comprising a main valve, moveable within said housing, for regulating the flow of said pressurized gas, and a pilot valve orifice for controlling movement of said main valve against the force exerted by said pressurized gas, the improvement comprising:
-
pilot valve closure means movable in a straight line path for selectively blocking said orifice; pressure-responsive means in said housing for actuating by straight-line motion said pilot valve closure means; and pressurization means, selectably acting on said pressure-responsive means, for (a) effecting positive pressure breathing during inhalation, and (b) maintaining a predetermined positive pressure in said user'"'"'s air passages at the end of exhalation, so that positive and expiratory pressure is provided. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
-
-
35. A device for regulating a user'"'"'s breathing from a source of pressurized gas comprising:
-
a housing having passage means for conducting said pressurized gas to said user; a valve body in said housing and having inlet and outlet means for said pressurized gas, said outlet means communicating with said passage means; pressurized gas valving means, moveable between a firs and a second position in said valve body, for respectively closing and opening said outlet means; pressure responsive means, including a pressure interface between the interior and exterior of said housing for both (a) moving said pressurized gas valving means between said first and second positions in response to said user'"'"'s inhalation, and (b) providing an exhalation outlet from said housing in response to said user'"'"'s exhalation; means for maintaining said exhalation outlet closed when the pressure in the interior of said housing is below a specified pressure; and means for adjustably applying pressure to said pressure interface on the side exterior of said housing to adjust said specified pressure required to open said exhalation outlet. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51)
-
-
52. A device for regulating the flow of a pressurized fluid, comprising:
-
a housing having a passage means for conducting said pressurized fluid to a point of use; a valve body in said housing, said valve body having an inlet and an outlet for said pressurized fluid, said inlet adapted to be connected to a pressurized fluid source, said outlet communicating with said passage means in said housing; main valving means in said valve body for opening and closing said outlet, said valving means having two opposed sides, the pressure of said pressurized fluid tending to maintain a greater fluid pressure force on one side of said main valving means than the fluid pressure force on the other side thereof to maintain said main valving means in a first position which closes said outlet; linearly movable pilot valving means for controllably venting the pressure which maintains said main valving means in said first position, so that said main valving means moves to a second position which opens said outlet; and
pressure-responsive means, including a pressure interface between the interior and exterior of said housing for both (a) actuating said pilot valving means when the pressure on the interior side of said pressure interface is less than the pressure on the exterior by a predetermined amount and (b) providing exhaust outlet means for said fluid to exit said housing when said main valving means is in said first position. - View Dependent Claims (53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69)
-
-
70. A breathing regulator comprising:
-
a valve body having inlet means for communicating with a source of pressurized breathable gas, and gas outlet means for communicating with the breathing passages of an animal; main valving means in said valve body for opening and closing said outlet means, said valving means, when closed, having a pair of unequal sized opposing surfaces subject to the pressure of said pressurized breathable gas to bias said valving means to a closed position; pilot valving means for controllably actuating said main valving means against the pressure exerted by said pressurized gas; and a piston rigidly attached to said pilot valving means for actuating said pilot valving means in response to a predetermined, breathing induced change in pressure in said outlet means.
-
-
71. A breathing regulator, comprising:
-
a valve body having inlet means for communicating with a source of pressurized breathable gas, and outlet means for said gas, said outlet means being fluidly connectable with the breathing passages of an animal; main valving means, in said valve body, for opening and closing said outlet means; a pilot valve chamber communicating with said main valving means, the pressure in said chamber controlling said opening and closing of said outlet means by said main valving means; a pilot orifice in said pilot valve chamber for exhausting said chamber; slideably movable pilot orifice closing means for controllably exhausting said chamber; and linearly moveable, pressure-responsive means for actuating said orifice closing means in response to a predetermined change in pressure in said outlet means, said change in pressure being induced by said animal'"'"'s breathing.
-
-
72. A device for the regulation of a user'"'"'s breathing from a source of pressurized gas, comprising:
-
a valve body having inlet and outlet means for said pressurized gas; an outlet chamber for communicating with said outlet means and said user'"'"'s breathing passages; valving means in said valve body for controllably opening and closing said outlet means in response to said user'"'"'s inspiratory and expiratory pressures; said inspiratory and expiratory pressures being determined by a pressure differential induced between the interior and exterior of said outlet chamber during inhalation and exhalation, respectively; and means forming a pressure-responsive interface between the interior and exterior of said outlet chamber for controllably varying both said inspiratory and expiratory pressures by controllably adjusting said pressure differential. - View Dependent Claims (73)
-
-
74. A device for the regulation of a user'"'"'s breathing from a source of pressurized gas, comprising:
-
a valve body having pressurized gas inlet means and gas outlet means communicating with said user'"'"'s breathing passages; valving means in said valve body for controllably opening said outlet means in response to said user'"'"'s inhalation and closing said outlet means when a predetermined absolute inspiratory pressure is reached in said user'"'"'s breathing passages and communicated to said gas outlet means, said predetermined absolute inspiratory pressure tending to remain constant with decreasing external ambient pressure; and means, responsive to the pressure at said gas outlet means and the external ambient pressure, for maintaining said predetermined inspiratory pressure as said ambient pressure decreases.
-
Specification