US3675649A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Electronically controlled oxygen regulators
Assignee: Westland Group PLC
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Filing: 1970-08-21
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Granted: 1972-07-11
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Expires: 1990-08-21
Abstract
Abstract A regulator apparatus for breathable gas includes an oxygen supply valve and an expiratory/air inlet valve mounted in the wall of a mask or other breathing chamber. A differential pressure sensor and an oxygen partial pressure sensor are also mounted on the mask and generate electrical signals in accordance with conditions in the mask. The differential pressure signal, which varies with the breathing of the user, is passed, along with the variable partial pressure signal, into an electronic control circuit which controls the operation of the valves in accordance with the breathing cycle and the oxygen partial pressure so as to maintain proper breathable gas conditions in the mask. When less than 100 percent oxygen supply is needed, the expiratory/air inlet valve and the oxygen valve are opened for appropriate relative time intervals during an inspiration so as to pass oxygen and diluting air into the mask in appropriate ratios. Altitude responsive elements are incorporated to bias the control circuit appropriately in accordance with increasing altitude, this biasing, of course, resulting in modification of the operation of the valves.
Inventors
- 👤 Edgar William James Basham
- 👤 Kenneth Wilfrid Tizard
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-03 05:07
CPC Classifications
B; B64; B64D; B64D13/00; B64D13/02; A; A62; A62B; A62B7/00; A62B7/14; B64D13/04; G; G05; G05D; G05D16/00; G05D16/20; G05D16/2006; G05D16/2013; G05D16/2026; G05D16/2046; H; H02; H02K; H02K33/00; H02K33/18
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 11
Claim 1
Independent Claim
312 words
Regulator apparatus for providing breathable gas in a chamber, comprising a chamber adapted for communication with the breathing organs of a user, conduit means adapted to connect an oxygen source with said chamber, a first valve in said conduit means, a passageway connecting said chamber with the exterior thereof, a second valve in said passageway, electronic control means connected with and controlling said first and second valves, and including an oxygen partial pressure sensor and a differential pressure transducer connected with said chamber and said control means and responsive to gas conditions within said chamber for providing combined signals to influence said control means so as to tend to operate said valves to maintain predetermined gas conditions in said chamber, wherein said differential pressure transducer provides a signal which influences said control means to tend to open said first valve and close said second valve upon an inspiration by the user and vice versa upon an expiration by the user, and wherein said partial pressure sensor provides a signal which influences said control means to tend to open said first valve and close said second valve when the oxygen partial pressure falls below a predetermined level and vice versa when the oxygen partial pressure is above a predetermined level, and said electronic control means responds to the combined effect of said signals by passing appropriate control signals to said valves, and wherein said electronic control means comprises means for emitting a pulsed signal of mark/space ratio dependent upon the level of the combined signals received from said transducer and said sensor, and wherein said first and second valves are arranged to react oppositely in response to the same pulsed signal, whereby one valve is open during a mark and the other valve is closed, and vice versa during a space, such that gas conditions within said mask vary with said mark/space ratio.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
312 words
Regulator apparatus for providing breathable gas in a chamber, comprising a chamber adapted for communication with the breathing organs of a user, conduit means adapted to connect an oxygen source with said chamber, a first valve in said conduit means, a passageway connecting said chamber with the exterior thereof, a second valve in said passageway, electronic control means connected with and controlling said first and second valves, and including an oxygen partial pressure sensor and a differential pressure transducer connected with said chamber and said control means and responsive to gas conditions within said chamber for providing combined signals to influence said control means so as to tend to operate said valves to maintain predetermined gas conditions in said chamber, wherein said differential pressure transducer provides a signal which influences said control means to tend to open said first valve and close said second valve upon an inspiration by the user and vice versa upon an expiration by the user, and wherein said partial pressure sensor provides a signal which influences said control means to tend to open said first valve and close said second valve when the oxygen partial pressure falls below a predetermined level and vice versa when the oxygen partial pressure is above a predetermined level, and said electronic control means responds to the combined effect of said signals by passing appropriate control signals to said valves, and wherein said electronic control means comprises means for emitting a pulsed signal of mark/space ratio dependent upon the level of the combined signals received from said transducer and said sensor, and wherein said first and second valves are arranged to react oppositely in response to the same pulsed signal, whereby one valve is open during a mark and the other valve is closed, and vice versa during a space, such that gas conditions within said mask vary with said mark/space ratio.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
80 words
Regulator apparatus as claimed in 1 wherein said control means includes a wave oscillator emitting a stable wave and a pulse amplifier connected to said oscillator for emitting said pulsed signal in accordance with the operating level of said wave relative to a predetermined switching level of the pulse amplifier, and wherein said signals from said transducer and said sensor are combined with said wave to vary the operational level thereof relative to the switching level of said pulse amplifier.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
51 words
Regulator apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said first valve comprises an electromagnetically operated oxygen inlet valve, and said second valve comprises an electromagnetically operated expiratory/air inlet valve for discharging exhaled gases and for selectively admitting ambient air during inhalation in accordance with the mark/space ratio of said pulsed signAl.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
27 words
Regulator apparatus as claimed in claim 3 wherein said oxygen inlet valve is a normally closed valve, and said expiratory/air inlet valve is a normally open valve.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
48 words
Regulator apparatus as claimed in claim 3 further comprising a safety pressure bias connected to the electronic control means for biassing said wave so as to vary the operational level thereof in the sense to maintain a positive pressure in the chamber when a predetermined altitude is reached.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
56 words
Regulator apparatus as claimed in claim 3 further comprising an altitude reference sensor for providing a further additional signal only to said oxygen inlet valve so as to increase the oxygen supply to the chamber at and above a predetermined altitude while said expiratory/air inlet valve remains under the control of said transducer and said sensor.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
191 words
Regulator apparatus for providing breathable gas in a chamber comprising a chamber adapted for communication with breathing organs of a user, conduit means adapted to connect an oxygen source with said chamber, a passageway connecting said chamber with the exterior thereof, a first valve in said conduit means, a second valve in said passageway, electronic control means connected with and controlling said first and second valves, and including an oxygen partial pressure sensor and a differential pressure transducer responsive to gas conditions within said chamber for providing combined signals for operation of said control means, said oxygen partial pressure sensor sensing the proportion of oxygen within said gas, and said pressure transducer sensing the total pressure of said gas according to the breathing demand of said user, a waveform generator connected to the electronic control means, said partial pressure sensor and said pressure transducer emitting signals to said electronic control means for summation with a signal from said waveform generator to produce a control signal to said first and second valves to maintain said gas conditions correct in proportion of oxygen and rate of delivery to satisfy demands of the user.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
191 words
Regulator apparatus for providing breathable gas in a chamber comprising a chamber adapted for communication with breathing organs of a user, conduit means adapted to connect an oxygen source with said chamber, a passageway connecting said chamber with the exterior thereof, a first valve in said conduit means, a second valve in said passageway, electronic control means connected with and controlling said first and second valves, and including an oxygen partial pressure sensor and a differential pressure transducer responsive to gas conditions within said chamber for providing combined signals for operation of said control means, said oxygen partial pressure sensor sensing the proportion of oxygen within said gas, and said pressure transducer sensing the total pressure of said gas according to the breathing demand of said user, a waveform generator connected to the electronic control means, said partial pressure sensor and said pressure transducer emitting signals to said electronic control means for summation with a signal from said waveform generator to produce a control signal to said first and second valves to maintain said gas conditions correct in proportion of oxygen and rate of delivery to satisfy demands of the user.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
59 words
Regulator apparatus as claimed in claim 7, further comprising a safety pressure bias connected to the electronic control means for, at a predetermined altitude below 20,000 feet, automatically introducing an electrical bias signal to said summation to modify said control signal to said first and second valves to maintain a positive pressure in said chamber while above said altitude.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
67 words
Regulator apparatus as claimed in claim 8, further comprising an altitude reference sensor connected to the electronic control means for, at a predetermined altitude above 30,000 feet, adding a second electrical bias signal to said control signal to said first valve only to increase said rate of delivery of oxygen, said increased rate being proportional to altitude above that at which the second bias is initially introduced.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1975-07-11 | 1976-01-10 | 1976-07-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1979-07-11 | 1980-01-10 | 1980-07-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1983-07-11 | 1984-01-10 | 1984-07-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |