Humidifier with liquid level control

• US 5,329,939 A
• Filed: 12/11/1992
• Issued: 07/19/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Vital Signs Incorporated (Becton, Dickinson & Co)
• Original Assignee: Cimco, Inc. (California) (Avient Corp.)
• Inventors: Howe, Blair E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Burr, Edgar S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): RACITI, ERIC
• Application Number:
  US07/989,341
• Time in Patent Office: 585 Days
• Field of Search: 128/200.14, 128/200.18, 128/200.21, 128/203.16, 128/203.17, 128/203.26, 128/203.27, 128/204.14, 128/203.12, 239/135, 239/139, 239/146, 239/338, 239/379, 222/56, 261/142, 261/DIG. 4, 261/DIG. 65
• US Class Current: 128/203.27
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 16/162 Water-reservoir filling system, e.g. automatic
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 3/82 Fixedly-mounted immersion heaters
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 261/04 Auto humidifiers

Abstract

An adaptor is made to connect a standard sterilized water container to a standard aerosol flow passage that itself is connected to a heater. The flow control adaptor comprises a nipple that is connected to the water bottle above the heater and chamber and extends through and sealing relation to the chamber to position the nipple bottom at the heater platen which forms the bottom of the aerosol flow chamber. The bottom of the nipple adjacent the bottom of the chamber is formed with a relatively lower and smaller water feed aperture and a relatively higher and larger vent aperture that collective operate to maintain a constant level of water in the bottom of the aerosol flow chamber.

Claims

1. A humidifier for heating and vaporizing water for mixing with a breathing mixture comprising:

a heater having;

a heater housing

a heater platen extending across the heater housing, and

a heating element mounted in the housing adjacent the heater platen,

a breathing mixture flow housing comprising;

means for defining a flow chamber having input and output ports,

means for connecting the chamber to the heater housing adjacent the heater platen,

a liquid container, and

a nipple receiving bore extending from the interior of said chamber to the exterior of said mixture flow housing, and

a flow control nipple having;

an elongated hollow cylindrical body having a smooth exterior surface slidingly and sealingly received in said bore, a rounded closed bottom end having an inwardly and downwardly tapered side wall, and an upper end,

a fitting mounted to said upper end and configured and arranged to rigidly connect said body to said liquid container, whereby said container and nipple can be inverted and inserted as a unit into said bore with said nipple in said flow housing and said container mounted to said flow housing through said nipple,

a feed hole formed in said bottom end tapered wall, and

a vent hole formed in said bottom end tapered wall and spaced from said feed hole, said vent hole having an uppermost hole boundary that is positioned further from said bottom end than said feed hole, said nipple having an interior defining a single common passage for air and water extending from said feed and vent holes to said fitting.

2. The humidifier of claim 1 wherein said vent hole uppermost hole boundary is defined by a surface extending horizontally through said tapered wall.

3. The humidifier of claim 1 including a flow restricting baffle positioned in said container connection fitting.

4. The humidifier of claim 1 wherein said bore in said chamber includes a smooth cylindrical surface, and wherein said nipple exterior surface mates with and is slidably received in said bore, and means for sealing said nipple to said flow housing.

5. The humidifier of claim 1 wherein said feed hole comprises a relatively small feed orifice having an uppermost portion, and wherein said vent hole comprises a vent orifice larger than said feed orifice and having a horizontal wall forming an uppermost boundary of said vent orifice positioned above the uppermost portion of said feed orifice.

6. The humidifier of claim 5 including adjustable means movably mounted to said nipple for varying the area of said vent hole.

7. The humidifier of claim 6 wherein said adjustable means comprises a rotatable closure member mounted for rotation within said nipple at the lower end thereof, a vent adjustment orifice mounted in said rotatable closure member, and a shaft connected with said rotatable closure member and extending through said heater passage for adjustment of said closure member.

8. A humidifier comprising:

a heater having;

a heater housing

a heater platen extending across the heater housing, and

a heating element mounted in the housing adjacent the heater platen,

a breathing mixture flow housing comprising;

means for defining a flow chamber having input and output ports,

means for connecting the chamber to the heater housing adjacent the heater platen, and

a nipple receiving bore extending from the interior of said chamber to the exterior of said mixture flow housing, and

a flow control nipple having;

a body portion extending into said nipple receiving bore,

an upper end having a container connection fitting,

a lower end in said chamber,

a feed hole formed in said lower end,

a vent hole formed in said lower end and having an upper portion positioned above said feed hole, said feed hole comprising a relatively small feed orifice having an uppermost portion, and said vent hole comprising a vent orifice larger than said feed orifice and having an upper portion positioned above the upper portion of said feed orifice, and

adjustable means movably mounted to said nipple for varying the area of said vent hole, said heater including a passage extending through said heater housing and through said platen, said nipple including a plug positioned at the lower end of the nipple for sealing said heater passage.

9. A humidifier comprising:

a flow housing including a vaporizing chamber having a gas input and a humidified gas output, and a bore extending from said flow housing,

means for forming a bottom for said chamber,

means for heating said bottom forming means,

a closed container of liquid positioned above said vaporizing chamber, and

a level control nipple for flowing liquid from said container to said chamber and for controlling level of liquid in said chamber, said level control nipple comprising;

an elongated hollow cylindrical body having a smooth exterior surface slidingly and sealingly received in said bore, a rounded closed bottom end having an inwardly and downwardly tapered side wall and an upper end,

a fitting mounted to said upper end and configured and arranged to rigidly connect said body to said liquid container, whereby said container and level control nipple can be inverted and inserted as a unit into said bore with said nipple in said flow housing chamber and said container mounted to said flow housing through said nipple,

a feed hole formed in said bottom end tapered wall, and

a vent hole formed in said bottom end tapered wall and spaced from said feed hole, said vent hole having an uppermost hole boundary wall that is positioned further from said bottom end than said feed hole, sand vent hole uppermost hole boundary wall being defined by a surface extending horizontally through said inwardly and downwardly tapered wall.

10. The humidifier of claim 9 wherein said means for heating said chamber bottom comprises a heater, said heater including a housing, a heating element mounted in said housing, and a heater platen adjacent said heating element, said heater platen forming said bottom of said vaporizing chamber, and means for coupling said heater housing to said vaporizing chamber.

11. The humidifier of claim 9 including means for adjusting the size of said vent orifice.

12. The humidifier of claim 11 wherein said means for adjusting comprises a closure member rotatably mounted within said nipple at the bottom portion thereof, said closure having first and second adjustment orifices, and means for adjustably positioning said adjustment member.

13. A humidifier comprising:

a heater having;

a heater housing

a heater platen extending across the heater housing, and

a heating element mounted in the housing adjacent the heater platen,

a breathing mixture flow housing comprising;

means for defining a flow chamber having input and output ports,

means for connecting the chamber to the heater housing adjacent the heater platen, and

a nipple receiving bore extending from the interior of said chamber to the exterior of said mixture flow housing, and

a flow control nipple having;

a body portion extending into said nipple receiving bore,

an upper end having a container connection fitting,

a lower end in said chamber,

a feed hole formed in said lower end, and

a vent hole formed in said lower end and having an uppermost portion positioned above said feed hole, said heater including a passage extending through said heater housing and through said platen, said nipple including a plug positioned at the lower end of the nipple for sealing said heater passage.

14. A humidifier for heating and vaporizing water for mixing with a breathing mixture comprising:

a breathing mixture flow housing comprising;

means for defining a flow chamber having input and output ports, having an open top and an open bottom with a threaded heater connection at said bottom, and a threaded container connection fitting at said top,

a heater having;

a heater housing,

a heater platen extending across the heater housing and forming a bottom of said breathing mixture flow housing, and

a heating element mounted in the heater housing adjacent the heater platen, and

a threaded heater fitting threadedly interengaged with the threaded heater connection of said breathing mixture flow housing,

a unitary combination of a standard water container having a standard connection neck and an adapter flow control nipple having a threaded fitting threaded upon and sealed to the connection neck of the water container and having a nipple body, said combination of adapter nipple and water container being adapted to be inverted as a unit and connected to flow water from said container to said heater platen and to control the level of water on said heater platen, said breathing mixture flow housing including a nipple receiving bore extending from the interior of the flow chamber to the exterior of the mixture flow housing, said flow control nipple including an elongated hollow cylindrical body having a smooth exterior surface slidingly and sealing received in said bore, whereby said nipple and water container are readily and rapidly attachable to said flow housing and heater housing, said nipple cylindrical body having a rounded closed bottom end and an inwardly and downwardly tapered wall,

a feed hole formed in said bottom end tapered wall, and

a vent hole formed in said bottom end tapered wall and spaced from said feed hole, said vent hole having an uppermost hole boundary that is positioned further from said bottom end than an uppermost portion of said feed hole.