Respiratory support system and blower for respiratory support system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11173263-B2
Application number	US-201716097575-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 27, 2017
Priority date	May 4, 2016
Publication date	Nov 16, 2021
Grant date	Nov 16, 2021

Abstract

A respiratory system including a dual outlet blower. One of a first and a second outlet of the blower provides a flow of gases to one of a pair of nasal outlets of a nasal interface and the other one of the first and second outlets provides a flow of gases to the other one of the pair of nasal outlets of the nasal interface. In an alternative embodiment, one of the first and second outlets provides a flow of gases to a nasal outlet of an oro-nasal interface and the other one of the first and second outlets provides a flow of gases to an oral outlet of the oro-nasal interface.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A respiratory system comprising: a dual outlet blower comprising: a single impeller; and a housing comprising a first outlet configured to provide a first flow of gases and a second outlet configured to provide a second flow of gases, the housing further comprising an impeller chamber in which the impeller rotates; wherein the first outlet of the blower provides the first flow of gases to one of a pair of nasal outlets of a nasal interface and the second outlet provides the second flow of gases to the other one of the pair of nasal outlets of the nasal interface, or wherein the first outlet provides the first flow of gases to a nasal outlet of an oro-nasal interface or to an oral outlet of the oro-nasal interface and the second outlet provides the second flow of gases to the other one of the nasal outlet of the oro-nasal interface or the oral outlet of the oro-nasal interface; wherein the first outlet is arranged to direct the first flow of gases from the housing when the impeller rotates in a first direction of rotation, and the second outlet arranged to direct the second flow of gases from the housing when the impeller rotates in an opposite second direction of rotation.

2. A respiratory system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein: with the rotation of the impeller in the first direction of rotation, the first flow of gases from the first outlet is greater than the second flow of gases from the second outlet, and with the rotation of the impeller in the second direction of rotation, the second flow of gases from the second outlet is greater than the first flow of gases from the first outlet.

3. A respiratory system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
the rotation of the impeller in the first direction of rotation generates the first flow of gases from the first outlet and a third flow of gases from the second outlet, and
the rotation of the impeller in the opposite second direction of rotation generates the second flow of gases from the second outlet and a fourth flow of gases from the first outlet, and
a flow rate of the first flow of gases is greater than a flow rate of the third flow of gases, and a flow rate of the second flow of gases is greater than a flow rate of the fourth flow of gases.

4. A respiratory system as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the flow rate of the first flow of gases is substantially the same as the flow rate of the second flow of gases.

5. A respiratory system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the blower comprises a motor for driving the rotation of the impeller, and the housing comprises a motor chamber for supporting the motor within the housing.

6. A respiratory system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the impeller is a centrifugal impeller.

7. A respiratory system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first outlet extends substantially tangentially from the housing with respect to the first direction of rotation of the impeller, and the second outlet extends substantially tangentially from the housing with respect to the opposite second direction of rotation of the impeller.

8. A respiratory system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first outlet is a first axial outlet and the second outlet is a second axial outlet.

9. A respiratory system as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the housing comprises a first stator ring and a second stator ring, each of the first stator ring and the second stator ring comprising a plurality of volute paths, the first axial outlet comprising the plurality of volute paths of the first stator ring, and the second axial outlet comprising the plurality of volute paths of the second stator ring.

10. A respiratory system as claimed in claim 9 , wherein each of the first stator ring and the second stator ring comprises a plurality of curved vanes, each one of the plurality of volute paths is separated from an adjacent volute path by one of the plurality of curved vanes.

11. A respiratory system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first outlet is a first axial outlet at a first side of the blower and the second outlet is a second axial outlet at a second side of the blower.

12. A respiratory system as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising: the nasal interface, the pair of nasal outlets comprising: a first nasal outlet for providing the first flow of gases to a user via one of the user's nares, and a second nasal outlet for providing the second flow of gases to the user via the other one of the user's nares, wherein the first outlet of the blower is in fluid communication with the first nasal outlet of the nasal interface, and the second outlet of the blower is in fluid communication with the second nasal outlet of the nasal interface, wherein rotation of the impeller of the blower in the first direction of rotation generates the first flow of gases to the first nasal outlet of the nasal interface, and rotation of the impeller in the second direction of rotation generates the second flow of gases to the second nasal outlet of the nasal interface, the second direction opposite to the first direction.

13. A respiratory system as claimed in claim 12 , further comprising one or more sensors to determine occlusion of one of the nares of the user and a controller to control the direction of rotation of the impeller in response to the determination of occlusion of one of the nares of the user.

14. A respiratory system as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the one or more sensors comprises a pressure or flow sensor to detect a pressure or a flow rate to or at the user's nares to determine, if the one or the other one of the user's nares is at least partially occluded.

15. A respiratory system as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising: the oro-nasal interface comprising: the nasal outlet for providing the first flow of gases to a user via at least one of the user's nares, and the oral outlet for providing the second flow of gases to the user via the user's mouth, and wherein the first outlet of the housing is in fluid communication with the nasal outlet of the oro-nasal interface, and the second outlet of the housing is in fluid communication with the oral outlet of the oro-nasal interface, wherein rotation of the impeller of the blower in the first direction of rotation generates the first flow of gases to the nasal outlet, and rotation of the impeller in the second direction of rotation generates the second flow of gases to the oral outlet.

16. The respiratory system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises a volute chamber configured to receive gases from the impeller chamber.

Assignees

• Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Ltd

Inventors

• Bothma Johannes Nicolaas
• Young Alex

Classifications

• F04D29/4246

  comprising more than one outlet · CPC title

• F04D27/001

  Testing thereof; Determination or simulation of flow characteristics; Stall or surge detection, e.g. condition monitoring · CPC title

• F04D17/16

  for displacing without appreciable compression · CPC title

• A61M2230/46

  Resistance or compliance of the lungs · CPC title

• A61M2205/3365

  Rotational speed · CPC title