Infant incubator with air curtain

• US 4,936,824 A
• Filed: 05/15/1987
• Issued: 06/26/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/1987
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: BOC Group, Inc. (Messer Adolf Family)
• Original Assignee: BOC Group, Inc. (Messer Adolf Family)
• Inventors: Buttitta, Anthony D., Koch, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Assistant Examiner(s): Szczecina, Jr., Eugene L.
• Application Number:
  US07/050,593
• Time in Patent Office: 1,138 Days
• Field of Search: 128/1 B, 128/205.26
• US Class Current: 600/22
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 11/00 Baby-incubators; Couveuses
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 11/005 with movable walls, e.g. for accessing the inside, removable walls
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 11/006 by pivoting
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 11/008 tiltable about a horizontal axis, e.g. oscillating
• CPC Class Codes: A61G 11/009 with hand insertion windows, e.g. in the walls
• CPC Class Codes: F24F 9/00 Use of air currents for screening, e.g. air curtains

Abstract

An infant incubator is disclosed having a hood that encloses the infant compartment. In the base of the incubator is the heating air and ducting means and which provides heated through an ever open outlet in the base and which heated air passes from the base through a flow path formed by the hood that circulates around the infant and re-enters the base through an inlet. That heated air is thus introduced into or along the access door in the front of the hood from the outlet and travels through or along the access door and through or along the hood around the infant and is returned to the base for recirculation. The hood itself is pivotally attached to the base at the rear of the incubator so that it can be opened from the front for complete access to the infant. The access door in the front of the hood is pivotally attached to the incubator base and can also be opened for access to the infant. When the access door is in its closed position, it forms part of the air path for the heated air. The heated air from the access door continues to pass along the flow path formed by the hood. When the access door is opened, it pivots out of the way of the air flow from the ever open outlet in the base and the flow of heated air continues over the area normally occupied by the access door when in its closed position forming an air curtain to protect the environment of the infant compartment. The flow of air thereafter enters the flow path formed by the hood in the same manner as the path of the air flow when the access door is closed and eventually re-enters the base through the inlet.

Claims

1. An infant incubator having a front and a rear for containing an infant comprising:

a base section having an infant support adapted to underlie and support an infant;

a hood mounted to said base section and having double walls, spaced apart, covering the infant;

said hood forming a continuous flow path between said double walls for circulating air from the front of said incubator to the rear of said incubator around the sides of the infant;

means to mount said hood to said base section to allow opening and closing of said hood to access the infant contained within said hood;

heating and ducting means in said base section, said heating and ducting means having an outlet at the front of said incubator for introducing heated air into the flow path formed by said double walls of said hood and having an inlet at the rear of said incubator for receiving air after circulating through said flow path, said heating and ducting means further including a blower to force said heated air from said outlet into said flow path at a positive pressure and to induce said air from said flow path through said inlet at a negative pressure;

a double wall access door in said hood having an open position affording access to the patient and a closed position wherein said access door receives the heated air from said heating and ducting outlet to pass through said double walls to form a part of the flow path for the heated air;

said access door being pivotally mounted to said base section about a point offset to said outlet to become removed from the normal flow path of heated air from said outlet when said access door is in its open position such that the flow path continues from said outlet under positive pressure across the opening occupied by said door in its closed position and induced into the flow path in said double wall hood to form an air curtain thereacross and then continues along the flow path formed by said double wall hood.

2. An infant incubator as defined in claim 1 wherein said outlet directs the flow of heated air into said flow path at an angle with respect to the vertical of between about 5 and 20 degrees inwardly toward said infant.

3. An infant incubator comprising:

a base section having an infant support adapted to underlie and support an infant,

a hood mounted to said base section and having a front wall, a top wall and a rear wall, and lateral side walls, said hood comprising interior and exterior walls in said front, top and rear walls in close proximity thereto forming a continuous flow path for gas through said hood and around the sides of the infant, said hood having said rear wall pivotally mounted to said base section for opening and closing said hood to access the infant contained therein,

an access door in said front wall of said hood, said access door having interior and exterior walls in close proximity thereto forming a path for gas through said access door and being pivotally mounted to said base section to an open position affording access to the infant and a closed position wherein said access door comprises a part of said flow path;

heating, air moving and ducting means in said base section for forcing heated air to said flow path in said front wall of said hood including through said access door when said door is in its closed position, said heated air thereafter passing through said top wall and said rear wall of said hood, said heating, air moving and ducting means inducing said heated air from said flow path in said rear wall to said base section.

said access door being pivotally mounted such that when in its open position it is removed from the flow path of heated air from said base section such that said heated air is forced across the opening normally occupied by said door in its closed position to form an air curtain and said heated air from the air curtain thereafter is induced into the flow path within said hood to pass through said walls of said hood.

4. An infant incubator comprising:

a base section having an infant support surface adapted to underlie and support an infant, heating and ducting means in said base section, said heating and ducting means having an outlet in the front thereof for delivering heated air and an inlet in the rear thereof for receiving air, said heating and ducting means further including a blower means to force heated air from said outlet at a positive pressure and for inducing air from said inlet,

a hood mounted to said base section, said hood having a pair of closely spaced walls forming a flow path for heated air within said walls between said outlet and said inlet,

hinge means at the rear of said hood hingedly connecting the rear of said hood to said base section, such that said hood can be moved between an open and a closed position,

said hood having an access door in the front of said hood hingedly connected to said base section about a pivot point displaced from said outlet, and having an open and a closed position, said access door comprising a pair of closely spaced walls forming a flow path for air therebetween, said access door in its closed position forming a part of said flow path for air passing from said outlet to said inlet, and in its open position moving clear of said outlet in said base section such that heated air from said outlet passes at a positive pressure across the area occupied by said access door when closed and is induced into said flow path formed by said hood and between said closely spaced walls of said hood to pass to said inlet.

5. An infant incubator as defined in claim 4 wherein said outlet comprises an elongated opening substantially along the width of said hood.