Humidifier for respiratory apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9440040-B2
Application number	US-31220707-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 8, 2007
Priority date	Nov 8, 2006
Publication date	Sep 13, 2016
Grant date	Sep 13, 2016

Abstract

A flexible tape heater ( 110 ) in a patient conduit ( 112 ) may be used to heat the flow of gas in the patient conduit ( 112 ) that is delivered to the patient mask ( 116 ). The thin, flat and extended nature of the flexible tape heater ( 110 ) may enhance heat transfer with the gas flow while also providing low impedance to the gas flow. Heating of the gas may facilitate the desired temperature and humidity to be reached for the gas delivered to the patient by the respiratory apparatus. The flexible tape heater ( 110 ) may be placed in the patient conduit ( 112 ) such that the flexible tape heater ( 110 ) is twisted or bent about one or more of the flexible tape heater's ( 110 ) three axes. Additionally these configurations may be used to enhance the turbulent mixing of the water vapor produced in the humidification chamber ( 114 ) with the gas flow.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A respiratory apparatus for delivering gas to a patient, including:
a PAP device generating a supply of pressurised gas to be delivered to the patient;
a humidifier configured to a) contain a body of water, b) vaporise at least a portion of the body of water and c) deliver water vapour generated from the body of water to humidify the gas;
a gas flow path leading from the PAP device to the humidifier and from the humidifier to a patient interface; and
a heater arranged to be in thermal contact with the gas and the body of water, wherein the heater comprises an elongate heating filament in the form of a tape and a portion of the elongate heating filament is arranged to be buoyantly supported by the body of water when the body of water is contained in the humidifier.

2. A respiratory apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the gas flow path includes a first portion between the PAP device and the humidifier and a second portion between the humidifier and the patient interface, and wherein the heating filament extends along at least part of both said first and second portions of the gas flow path.

3. A respiratory apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said heating filament is configured to be in thermal contact with both the gas in the gas flow path and the body of water when the body of water is contained in the humidifier.

4. A respiratory apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the heating filament has an intermediate portion configured to be in contact with the body of water when the body of water is contained in the humidifier.

5. A respiratory apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the heating filament is configured to be at least partly immersed in the body of water when the body of water is contained in the humidifier.

6. A respiratory apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the heating filament is configured to be in contact with a surface of the body of water when the body of water is contained in the humidifier.

7. A respiratory apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the heating filament comprises a flexible tape.

8. A respiratory apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the heating filament is inserted along a bore of a patient gas delivery conduit.

9. A respiratory apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the heating filament is incorporated in a wall of a patient gas delivery conduit.

10. A respiratory apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the flexible tape forms a portion at least of the gas flow path.

11. A respiratory apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the heating filament comprises a heating element sealed within a flexible tape.

12. A respiratory apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the heating element is laminated within the flexible tape.

13. A respiratory apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the flexible tape includes polycarbonate, polyester and/or polypropylene materials.

14. A respiratory apparatus according to claim 13 , wherein the heating element is formed by printing or etching or vacuum deposition techniques, upon at least one side of the material.

15. A respiratory apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the flexible tape includes kapton, silicone rubber, all-polyimide, PTFE and/or mica materials.

16. A respiratory apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the heating element includes a wire or a ribbon.

17. A respiratory apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the heating filament further incorporates one or more sensors.

18. A respiratory apparatus according to claim 17 , wherein the one or more sensors includes a temperature sensor, a gas flow sensor and/or a pressure sensor.

19. A respiratory apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein the one or more sensors includes an electronic pressure sensor adapted to sense one or more pressure signals.

20. A respiratory apparatus according to claim 19 , wherein the one or more pressure signals includes noise, snore, cardiological, flow and/or gas flow path pressure.

21. A respiratory apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein the one or more sensors includes a pressure sensor having a tube adapted to communicate one or more pressure signals.

22. A respiratory apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein the one or more sensors includes a pressure sensor having a tube with a diaphragm adapted to sense one or more pressure signals.

23. A respiratory apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein the one or more sensors includes a pressure sensor configured as a differential pressure sensor for two or more locations within the respiratory apparatus.

24. A respiratory apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein the gas flow sensor comprises:
a first pressure sensor associated with a thick portion of the heating filament; and
a second pressure sensor associated with a thin portion of the heating filament,
wherein an indication of a gas flow quantity is derived from a relationship between outputs of the first pressure sensor and the second pressure sensor.

25. A respiratory apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein the gas flow sensor comprises at least a portion of the heating filament configured as a hot wire anemometer.

26. A respiratory apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the heating filament further incorporates one or more control elements.

27. A respiratory apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the heating filament is adapted to receive one or more circuit components to monitor or control characteristics of the delivered gas.

28. A respiratory apparatus according to claim 27 , wherein said characteristic includes temperature, humidity, gas flow, gas velocity and/or pressure.

29. A respiratory apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the heating filament further incorporates components adapted to enable the heating filament to obtain power from a wall adapted to allow one or more heating filaments to obtain power from a power supply.

30. A respiratory apparatus according to claim 29 , wherein the power supply is a base unit.

31. A respiratory apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the heating filament further incorporates components adapted to enable a plurality of said heating filaments to supply power to each other from a power supply.

32. A respiratory apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the heating filament further incorporates components adapted to identify, communicate or have a memory device to enable a plurality of said heating filaments to interact with each other and a base unit.

33. A respiratory apparatus according to claim 32 wherein said heating filament interacts with the base unit via one or more heating filaments.

34. A respiratory apparatus according to claim 32 wherein said heating filament interacts with the base unit via a wall adapted to allow one or more heating filaments to interact with each other and the base unit.

35. A respiratory apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the heating filament is positioned within the gas flow path and is twisted about a longitudinal axis of the filament.

36. A respiratory apparatus according to claim 35 , wherein the gas flow path includes a humidifier conduit, the humidifier and/or a patient gas delivery conduit.

37. A respiratory apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the heating fi

Assignees

• Klasek Paul Jan
• Virr Alexander
• Huby Ronald James
• Cheng Jack Wei
• Resmed Ltd

Inventors

• Klasek Paul Jan
• Virr Alexander
• Huby Ronald James
• Cheng Jack Wei

Classifications

• A61M16/16

  Devices to humidify the respiration air {(A61M16/1045 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• A61M16/108

  before being humidified or mixed with a beneficial agent · CPC title

• A61M16/0816

  Joints or connectors · CPC title

• A61M16/109

  the humidifying liquid or the beneficial agent · CPC title

• A61M2016/0027

  pressure meter · CPC title