Continuous flow anesthesia apparatus

Claim 2

Continuous flow anesthesia apparatus comprising at least two flowmeters, means for supplying one fluid component to one of saId flowmeters, means for supplying another fluid component to another of said flowmeters, each of said flowmeters being operable to measure and visually indicate the rate of flow of the respective component, mixture control valve means operable to increase the rate of flow of either of said components to its associated flowmeter and simultaneously decrease the rate of flow of the other of said components to its associated flowmeter to vary the relative proportions of said components substantially without varying the total rate of flow of said components, and flow control means operable to vary the total rate of flow of said components substantially without varying the relative proportions thereof.

Claim 3

Continuous flow anesthesia apparatus according to claim 1 including means mounting said mixture control valve means and said flow control means in close proximity to each other on said apparatus for convenient accessibility.

Claim 4

Continuous flow anesthesia apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said mixture control valve means comprises a manually operable member, and a pair of coaxial aligned needle valves extending in opposite directions from said manually operable member for controlling the flow of said fluid components to the respective flow meters thereof.

Claim 5

Continuous flow anesthesia apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said flow control means comprises a fluid regulator having a fluid inlet connected to a source of said one fluid component under pressure and a fluid outlet, valve means in said fluid regulator for controlling the flow of said one fluid component from said fluid inlet to said fluid outlet, and spring biased means for actuating said valve means to establish communication between said fluid inlet and said fluid outlet.

Claim 6

Continuous flow anesthesia apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said flow control means includes second and third fluid regulators having fluid inlets connected to respective sources of said fluid components under pressure and fluid outlets connected to respective ones of said flowmeters, said second and third regulators having valve means for controlling the flow of said fluid components from said fluid inlets to said fluid outlets.

Claim 7

Continuous flow anesthesia apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said second and third regulators are provided with control chambers, passage means connecting said control chambers to said first fluid regulator outlet for establishing control pressures in said chambers, and means responsive to pressures in said control chambers as determined by operation of said first regulator for actuating said second and third regulator valve means.

Claim 8

Continuous flow anesthesia apparatus according to claim 6 wherein said responsive means in each of said second and third regulators comprises a pair of spaced diaphragms connected together and interposed between said fluid outlet and said pressure chamber of said regulator, and means placing the spaces between said pair of diaphragms in communication with the ambient atmosphere.

Claim 9

Continuous flow anesthesia apparatus comprising at least two flowmeters, means for supplying one fluid component to one of said flowmeters, means for supplying another fluid component to another of said flowmeters, mixture control valve means operable to increase the rate of flow of either of said components to its associate flowmeter and simultaneously decrease the rate of flow of the other of said components to its associated flowmeter to vary the relative proportions of said components substantially without varying the total rate of flow of said components, and flow control means operable to vary the total rate of flow of said components substantially without varying the relative proportions thereof, said flow control means comprising a fluid regulator having a fluid inlet connected to a source of said one fluid component under pressure and a fluid outlet, valve means in said fluid regulator for controlling the flow of said one fluid component from said fluid inlet to sAid fluid outlet, and spring biased means for actuating said valve means to establish communication between said fluid inlet and said fluid outlet, said flow control means further including second and third fluid regulators having fluid inlets connected to respective sources of said fluid components under pressure and fluid outlets connected to respective ones of said flowmeters, said second and third regulators having valve means for controlling the flow of said fluid components from said fluid inlets to said fluid outlets; said second and third regulators being provided with control chambers, passage means connecting said control chambers to said first fluid regulator outlet for establishing control pressures in said chambers, and means responsive to pressures in said control chambers as determined by operation of said first regulator for actuating said second and third regulator valve means, and a fourth regulator connected in series with said third regulator for control operation in the event of failure of said third regulator.

Claim 10

Continuous flow anesthesia apparatus comprising at least two flowmeters, means for supplying one fluid component to one of said flowmeters, means for supplying another fluid component to another of said flowmeters, mixture control valve means operable to increase the rate of flow of either of said components to its associate flowmeter and simultaneously decrease the rate of flow of the other of said components to its associated flowmeter to vary the relative proportions of said components substantially without varying the total rate of flow of said components, and flow control means operable to vary the total rate of flow of said components substantially without varying the relative proportions thereof, said flow control means comprising a fluid regulator having a fluid inlet connected to a source of said one fluid component under pressure and a fluid outlet, valve means in said fluid regulator for controlling the flow of said one fluid component from said fluid inlet to sAid fluid outlet, and spring biased means for actuating said valve means to establish communication between said fluid inlet and said fluid outlet, said flow control means further including second and third fluid regulators having fluid inlets connected to respective sources of said fluid components under pressure and fluid outlets connected to respective ones of said flowmeters, said second and third regulators having valve means for controlling the flow of said fluid components from said fluid inlets to said fluid outlets; said second and third regulators being provided with control chambers, passage means connecting said control chambers to said first fluid regulator outlet for establishing control pressures in said chambers, and means responsive to pressures in said control chambers as determined by operation of said first regulator for actuating said second and third regulator valve means, and a fourth regulator connected in series with said third regulator for control operation in the event of failure of said third regulator.

Claim 11

A system according to claim 8 wherein said fluid components are gases and said flowmeters directly measure the rate of flow therethrough of the respective components.

Claim 12

Continuous flow anesthesia apparatus comprising at least two flowmeters, means for supplying one fluid component to one of said flowmeters, means for supplying another fluid component to another of said flowmeters, mixture control valve means operable to increase the rate of flow of either of said components to its associated flowmeter and simultaneously decrease the rate of flow of the other of said components to its associated flowmeter to vary the relative proportions of said components substantially without varying the total rate of flow of said components, and flow control means operable to vary the total rate of flow of said components substantially without varying the relative proportions thereof, said flow control means comprising a fluid regulator having a fluid inlet connected to a source of said one fluid component under pressure and a fluid outlet, valve means in said fluid regulator for controlling the flow of said one fluid component from said fluid inlet to said fluid outlet, and spring biased means for actuating said valve means to establish communication between said fluid inlet and said fluid outlet, said flow control means further including second and third fluid regulators having fluid inlets connected to respective sources of said fluid components under pressure and fluid outlets connected to respective ones of said flowmeters, said second and third regulators having valve means for controlling the flow of said fluid components from said fluid inlets to said fluid outlets, said second and third regulators being provided with control chambers, passage means connecting said control chambers to said first fluid regulator outlet for establishing control pressures in said chambers, and means responsive to pressures in said control chambers as determined by operation of said first regulator for actuating said second and third regulator valve means, and wherein said passage means is provided with a vent orifice downstream of said regulator control chambers.

Claim 13

Continuous flow anesthesia apparatus comprising at least two flowmeters, means for supplying one fluid component to one of said flowmeters, means for supplying another fluid component to another of said flowmeters, mixture control valve means operable to increase the rate of flow of either of said components to its associated flowmeter and simultaneously decrease the rate of flow of the other of said components to its associated flowmeter to vary the relative proportions of said components substantially without varying the total rate of flow of said components, and flow control means operable to vary the total rate of flow of said components substantially without varying the relative proportions thereof, said flow control means comprising a fluid regulator having a fluid inlet connected to a source of said one fluid component under pressure and a fluid outlet, valve means in said fluid regulator for controlling the flow of said one fluid component from said fluid inlet to said fluid outlet, and spring biased means for actuating said valve means to establish communication between said fluid inlet and said fluid outlet, said flow control means further including second and third fluid regulators having fluid inlets connected to respective sources of said fluid components under pressure and fluid outlets connected to respective ones of said flowmeters, said second and third regulators having valve means for controlling the flow of said fluid components from said fluid inlets to said fluid outlets, said second and third regulators being provided with control chambers, passage means connecting said control chambers to said first fluid regulator outlet for establishing control pressures in said chambers, and means responsive to pressures in said control chambers as determined by operation of said first regulator for actuating said second and third regulator valve means, and wherein said passage means is provided with a vent orifice downstream of said regulator control chambers.

Claim 14

Continuous flow anesthesia apparatus according to claim 10 wherein said orifice is provided with an outlet connected to said one fluid component flowmeter.

Claim 15

A flow control system for anesthesia apparatus comprising separate supply circuits, a common outlet line, at least two flowmeters, means including one of said supply conduits for supplying a first fluid component through one of said flowmeters to said common line, means including another of said supply conduits for supplying another fluid component through another of said flowmeters to said common line, means operable to increase the rate of flow of either of said components and simultaneously decrease the rate of flow of the other of said components to vary the relative proportions of said components substantially without varying the total rate of flow of said components, and means operable to vary the total rate of flow of said components substantially without varying the relative proportions thereof, said flowmeters measuring and indicating the rate of flow of the components flowing therethrough, and said components being mixed in said common line.

Claim 16

A flow control system for anesthesia apparatus comprising separate supply circuits, a common outlet line, at least two flowmeters, means including one of said supply conduits for supplying a first fluid component through one of said flowmeters to said common line, means including another of said supply conduits for supplying another fluid component through another of said flowmeters to said common line, means operable to increase the rate of flow of either of said components and simultaneously decrease the rate of flow of the other of said components to vary the relative proportions of said components substantially without varying the total rate of flow of said components, and means operable to vary the total rate of flow of said components substantially without varying the relative proportions thereof, said flowmeters measuring and indicating the rate of flow of the components flowing therethrough, and said components being mixed in said common line.