Respiratory apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9381318-B2
Application number	US-201414177354-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 11, 2014
Priority date	Jan 31, 2008
Publication date	Jul 5, 2016
Grant date	Jul 5, 2016

Abstract

A flow generator for generating a flow of pressurized breathable gas includes a cylindrical housing and a motor supported in the housing. The motor has a shaft having a first end and a second end opposite the first end. The shaft is generally coincident with an axis of the motor. A first impeller is attached to the first end of the shaft and a second impeller is attached to the second end of the shaft. A stator directs an air flow from the first impeller back towards the motor axis. The housing includes an inlet adjacent the first end of the shaft having an inlet axis generally coincident with the motor axis and at least one outlet between the first and second impellers. The at least one outlet has an outlet axis generally tangential to the motor axis.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A blower assembly configured to deliver a flow of breathable gas at a continuously positive pressure with respect to ambient air pressure to a patient interface in communication with an entrance to a patient's airways including at least an entrance of the patient's nares, while the patient is sleeping, to ameliorate sleep disordered breathing, the blower assembly comprising:
a housing including a first housing portion, second housing portion and a stator portion between the first housing portion and the second housing portion;
an axial air inlet provided in the first housing portion;
at least two tangential outlets provided in the housing and configured to deliver the breathable gas to the entrance of the patient's airways by way of an air delivery tube and/or the patient interface;
a motor supported within the housing, the motor having a shaft that extends from opposite sides of the motor, the shaft being generally coincident with an axis of the motor and the axial air inlet;
a first impeller attached to the shaft on a first side of the motor; and
a second impeller attached to the shaft on the opposite second side of the motor;
wherein rotation of the first and second impellers is configured to cause a flow of air into the axial air inlet to and around the first impeller, the stator portion is configured to direct an air flow from the first impeller around a stator and through a central aperture to the second impeller, the air flow from the second impeller is directed to fold back within the outer periphery of the housing in the direction towards the motor to the at least two outlets between the first and second impellers.

2. A blower assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the at least two outlets are provided in the second housing portion.

3. A blower assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the stator portion includes a stator disk and a third housing portion.

4. A blower assembly according to claim 3 , wherein the stator disk includes a plurality of curved vanes configured to fold the flow delivered from the first impeller back towards the central aperture.

5. A blower assembly according to claim 3 , wherein the third housing portion includes the central aperture.

6. A blower assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the stator portion further includes a motor mounting portion to mount the stator to the motor.

7. A blower assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the at least two outlets are arranged substantially symmetrically around the housing.

8. A blower assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second impellers comprise straight vanes.

9. A blower assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the first and second impellers comprise curved vanes.

10. A blower assembly according to claim 9 , wherein the vanes have a varying height.

11. A blower assembly according to claim 10 , wherein the height of the vanes of the first impeller at a circumferential edge of the first impeller is a minimum height that does not choke the flow.

12. A blower assembly according to claim 1 , further comprising noise and/or vibration dampening material between the motor and the stator portion and/or between the first and second housing portions.

13. A blower assembly according to claim 12 , wherein the noise and/or vibration dampening material comprises a gel.

14. A blower assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the motor is a brushless motor.

15. A blower assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the motor is an axial gap motor.

16. A blower assembly according to claim 15 , wherein the motor is configured to deliver about 1-5 W of power.

17. A blower assembly according to claim 16 , wherein the motor is configured to deliver about 3 W of power.

18. A blower assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the at least two outlet have an oval or elliptical cross section.

19. A blower assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the air flow from the first impeller enters the second impeller in a first direction and the air flow from the second impeller flows toward the at least two outlets in a second direction opposite the first direction.

20. A blower assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the housing is cylindrical.

21. A flow generator comprising a blower assembly of claim 1 .

22. An apparatus for delivering a flow of pressurized breathable gas to a patient and treating a respiratory disorder, the apparatus comprising:
a flow generator according to claim 21 ;
a casing to contain the flow generator, wherein the casing is configured to engage a part of the patient's body;
a power supply for the flow generator;
at least one delivery conduit to convey the flow of pressurized breathable gas; and
a patient interface to receive the flow of pressurized breathable gas from the at least one delivery conduit and deliver it to the patient's airways.

23. An apparatus according to claim 22 , wherein the part of the patient's body is a patient's head.

24. An apparatus according to claim 23 , further comprising a headgear configured to support the flow generator.

25. An apparatus according to claim 24 , further comprising insulating material provided in the headgear configured to reduce the sound power emitted by the apparatus.

26. An apparatus according to claim 22 , wherein the sound power emitted by the apparatus is less than about 50 dB(A).

27. An apparatus according to claim 22 , further comprising insulating material provided in the casing and/or the patient interface configured to reduce the sound power emitted by the apparatus.

Assignees

• Resmed Ltd

Inventors

• Kenyon Barton John
• Flower Renee Frances
• Brambilla Enrico
• Kwok Philip Rodney

Classifications

• A61M16/0694

  Chin straps · CPC title

• A61M2205/8206

  battery-operated · CPC title

• A61M16/0066 Primary

  Blowers or centrifugal pumps · CPC title

• A61M2205/8237

  Charging means · CPC title

• A61M16/0683

  Holding devices therefor · CPC title