Oxygen enriching apparatus
First Claim
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1. A low-noise apparatus for providing oxygen-enriched air to a medical patient, the apparatus comprising:
- an outer casing means having an intake opening for intaking into said casing a flow of atmospheric air, to exhaust opening for exhausting a first part of the flow of atmospheric air, and a first outlet port for delivering a second oxygen-enriched part of the flow of atmospheric air to a patient;
an oxygen enriching system accommodated in said outer casing means for supplying said second oxygen-enriched part of the flow of atmospheric air to said first outlet port, said oxygen enriching system including oxygen enriching means operable to enrich said second part of said flow of atmospheric air with oxygen, a motor-driven pumping means for causing said second flow of atmospheric air to pass through said oxygen enriching means, piping means for carrying said second part of the flow of air via said pumping means and said oxygen enriching means to said first outlet port, and fan means for causing said flow of atmospheric air generally directed from said intake opening of said outer casing means toward said exhaust opening;
soundproof box means defining an impervious-to-sound chamber, said motor-driven pumping means and said fan means being completely accommodated within said chamber, the box means having an inlet port communicating with said intake opening for permitting said atmospheric air to flow into said chamber and a separate outlet port communicating with said exhaust opening for permitting said first part of the flow of atmospheric air to exit from the outer casing means after cooling said motor-driven pumping means and said fan means;
elongated air intake passage means formed within said outer casing means for restrictively guiding said flow of atmospheric air from said intake opening to said inlet port, said intake passage means having bends at at least five positions, each of said positions being lined with sound absorbing material; and
elongated air exhaust passage means formed within said outer casing means for restrictively guiding said first part of the flow of atmospheric air from said separate outlet port of said soundproof box means to said exhaust opening, said air exhaust passage means having a plurality of partition plates such that the exhaust passage means includes bends at at least five positions, each of said partition plates being lined with sound absorbing material.
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Abstract
An apparatus for producing oxygen enriched air from the atmospheric air, including an oxygen enriching system employing a fan for inducing a flow of atmospheric air through an oxygen enriching unit and a pump for deriving the oxygen enriched air from the oxygen enriching unit, a sound-proof box for encasing the fan and pump, an air intake passage having not less than five bends and an air exhaust passage also having not less than five bends. The oxygen enriching unit is provided with a unit for adjusting an oxygen concentration to a constant level regardless of any change in the atmospheric temperature.
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Citations
37 Claims
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1. A low-noise apparatus for providing oxygen-enriched air to a medical patient, the apparatus comprising:
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an outer casing means having an intake opening for intaking into said casing a flow of atmospheric air, to exhaust opening for exhausting a first part of the flow of atmospheric air, and a first outlet port for delivering a second oxygen-enriched part of the flow of atmospheric air to a patient; an oxygen enriching system accommodated in said outer casing means for supplying said second oxygen-enriched part of the flow of atmospheric air to said first outlet port, said oxygen enriching system including oxygen enriching means operable to enrich said second part of said flow of atmospheric air with oxygen, a motor-driven pumping means for causing said second flow of atmospheric air to pass through said oxygen enriching means, piping means for carrying said second part of the flow of air via said pumping means and said oxygen enriching means to said first outlet port, and fan means for causing said flow of atmospheric air generally directed from said intake opening of said outer casing means toward said exhaust opening; soundproof box means defining an impervious-to-sound chamber, said motor-driven pumping means and said fan means being completely accommodated within said chamber, the box means having an inlet port communicating with said intake opening for permitting said atmospheric air to flow into said chamber and a separate outlet port communicating with said exhaust opening for permitting said first part of the flow of atmospheric air to exit from the outer casing means after cooling said motor-driven pumping means and said fan means; elongated air intake passage means formed within said outer casing means for restrictively guiding said flow of atmospheric air from said intake opening to said inlet port, said intake passage means having bends at at least five positions, each of said positions being lined with sound absorbing material; and elongated air exhaust passage means formed within said outer casing means for restrictively guiding said first part of the flow of atmospheric air from said separate outlet port of said soundproof box means to said exhaust opening, said air exhaust passage means having a plurality of partition plates such that the exhaust passage means includes bends at at least five positions, each of said partition plates being lined with sound absorbing material. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. An apparatus for providing oxygen-enriched air to a medical patient, said apparatus including a plurality of membrane elements respectively provided with a selectively permeable membrane permitting permeation of oxygen therethrough at a higher rate than nitrogen upon being applied thereto with atmospheric air, and means for deriving said oxygen-enriched air from the plurality of membrane elements,
the improvement wherein said plurality of membrane elements are divided into a predetermined number of groups having respective effective membrane areas for permeation, said predetermined number of groups of membrane elements being provided with respective conduit means for establishing a corresponding number of fluid connections to said means for deriving said oxygen-enriched air, wherein there is provided means for changing said number of said fluid connections between said predetermined number of groups of membrane elements and said means for deriving said oxygen-enriched air within said predetermined number, and wherein said means for deriving said oxygen-enriched air comprises a pressure reducing means for drawing off said oxygen-enriched air from said plurality of membrane elements, said pressure reducing means comprising a vacuum pump driven by an electric motor, the apparatus further comprising controlling means for preventing said electric motor from being started before a vacuum level prevailing on a suction side of said vacuum pump drops below a predetermined vacuum level, said controlling means comprising an electric relay cirucit means including a combination of a first relay having normally-open contacts disposed between said electric drive motor and an electric power source and a second relay having a normally-closed contact which is forcibly opened so as to prevent electrical energization of said first relay for a predetermined period of time after stopping of said electric drive motor.
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30. In an apparatus for providing oxygen-enriched air to a medical patient, said apparatus including a plurality of membrane elements respectively provided with a selectively permeable membrane permitting permeation of oxygen therethrough at a higher rate than nitrogen upon being applied thereto with atmospheric air, and means for deriving said oxygen-enriched air from the plurality of membrane elements,
the improvement wherein said plurality of membrane elements are divided into a predetermined number of groups having respective effective membrane areas for permeation, said predetermined number of groups of membrane elements being provided with respective conduit means for establishing a corresponding number of fluid connections ot said means for deriving said oxygen-enriched air, wherein there is provided means for changing said number of said fluid connections between said predetermined number of groups of membrane elements and said means for deriving said oxygen-enriched air within said predetermined number, and wherein said means for deriving said oxygen-enriched air comprises a pressure reducing means for drawing off said oxygen-enriched air from said plurality of membrane elements, said pressure reducing means comprising a vacuum pump driven by an electric motor, the apparatus further comprising controlling means for preventing said electric motor from being started before a vacuum level prevailing on a suction side of said vacuum pump drops below a predetermined vacuum level, and wherein said control means comprises a combination of a timer means and an electric switching means connected to said electric motor, said timer means operating so as to prevent said electric switching means from becoming ON for a predetermined period of time after stopping of said electric drive motor.
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34. An apparatus for providing oxygen-enriched air to a medical patient, the apparatus comprising:
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a plurality of membrane elements, each element being provided with a selecltively permeable membrane having an upstream surface and a downstream surface, the membrane permitting permation of oxygen therethrough at a higher rate than nitrogen upon application of atmospheric air to the upstream surface of the membrane; a vacuum pumping means for drawing oxygen-enriched air from the downstream surface of the membrane of each of the plurality of membrane elements; an electric drive motor for driving said vacuum pumping means; and control means for preventing said electric drive motor from being started before a vacuum level prevailing on a suction side of said vacuum pumping means drops below a predetermined vacuum level, said control means comprising a combination of a timer means and an electric switching means connected to said electric motor, said timer means operating so as to prevent said electric switching means from becoming ON for a predetermined period of time after stopping of said electric drive motor.
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35. An apparatus for providing oxygen-enriched air to a medical patient, the apparatus comprising:
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a plurality of membrane elements, each element being provided with a selectively permeable membrane having an upstream surface and a downstream surface, the membrane permitting permeation of oxygen therethrough at a higher rate than nitrogen upon application of atmospheric air to the upstream surface of the membrane; a vacuum pumping means for drawing oxygen-enriched air from the downstream surface of the membrane of each of the plurality of membrane elements; an electric drive motor for driving said vacuum pumping means; and an electric relay circuit means including a combination of a first relay having normally-open contacts disposed between said electric drive motor and an electric power source, a second relay having a normally-closed contact disposed in the energizing circuit of said first relay, and means for activating said second relay for a predetermined period of time when said electric drive motor becomes deenergized to open said normally-closed contact so as to prevent electric energization of said first relay for a predetermined period of time after stopping of said electric drive motor.
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36. An apparatus for providing oxygen-enriched air to a medical patient, the apparatus comprising:
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a plurality of membrane elements, each element being provided with a selectively permeable membrane having an upstream surface and a downstream surface, the membrane permitting permeation of oxygen therethrough at a higher rate than nitrogen upon application of atmospheric air to the upstream surface of the membrane; a vacuum pumping means for drawing oxygen-enriched air from the downstream surface of the membrane of each of the plurality of membrane elements; an electric drive motor for driving said vacuum pumping means; control means for automatically delaying restart of said electric drive motor after an interruption of operation of said apparatus until at least a time when a vacuum level prevailing on a suction side of said vacuum pumping means drops below a predetermined vacuum level. - View Dependent Claims (37)
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Specification