Single stage, axial symmetric blower and portable ventilator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9861774-B2
Application number	US-201013384971-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 11, 2010
Priority date	Aug 11, 2009
Publication date	Jan 9, 2018
Grant date	Jan 9, 2018

Abstract

A blower ( 10 ) includes a housing ( 20 ) including a proximal opening ( 23 ) and a distal opening ( 25 ) that are co-axially aligned, a stator component ( 30 ) provided to the housing, an impeller ( 60 ) positioned between the proximal opening of the housing and the stator component, and a motor ( 40 ) adapted to drive the impeller. The impeller includes a plurality of impeller blades. The stator component includes a plurality of air directing grooves ( 35 ) along its exterior surface. The leading edge of the air directing grooves extend tangentially outwards from the outer tips of the impeller blades and are configured to collect the air exiting the impeller blades and direct it from a generally tangential direction to a generally radial direction by dividing the air from the impeller and directing the air along a curved path towards the distal opening so that airflow becomes substantially laminar.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A blower, comprising:
a housing including a proximal opening and a distal opening, the proximal opening and distal opening being co-axially aligned;
a stator component provided to the housing;
an impeller positioned between the proximal opening of the housing and the stator component, the impeller including a plurality of impeller blades; and
a motor adapted to drive the impeller,
wherein the stator component includes a plurality of air directing grooves along an exterior surface thereof configured and arranged to collect and divide air from the impeller, each of the air directing grooves including an inlet portion providing a leading edge extending tangentially outwards from outer tips of the impeller blades, the inlet portion of each of the air directing grooves configured to collect air exiting the impeller blades and direct the air from a generally tangential direction to a generally radial outward direction relative to the outer tips of the impeller blades, and each of the air directing grooves configured to subsequently direct the air from the inlet portion along a curved path to an outlet portion extending from the inlet portion of each of the air directing grooves, the outlet portion of each of the air directing grooves extending in a generally axial direction towards the distal opening, so that airflow becomes substantially laminar,
wherein the outlet portion of each of the air directing grooves extends along a lower side of the stator component that is positioned out of a line of sight of the impeller, and
wherein each of the air directing grooves includes a cross-sectional area that is substantially constant along an entire length of each of the air directing grooves from the inlet portion to the outlet portion.

2. The blower according to claim 1 , wherein the stator component includes nine, eleven, or thirteen air directing grooves.

3. The blower according to claim 1 , wherein the air directing grooves all converge at a base of the stator component.

4. The blower according to claim 1 , wherein a depth of each of the air directing grooves increases or deepens as it extends from the inlet portion towards the outlet portion.

5. The blower according to claim 1 , wherein a width of each of the air directing grooves decreases or narrows as it extends from the inlet portion towards the outlet portion.

6. The blower according to claim 1 , wherein the stator component includes a hollow interior adapted to support the motor therewithin.

7. The blower according to claim 1 , wherein the motor includes a stator assembly adapted to drive a rotor, and the impeller is coupled to an end portion of the rotor.

8. The blower according to claim 7 , wherein the rotor is supported by a pair of bearings, the bearings supported by the housing.

9. The blower according to claim 1 , wherein the impeller includes a number of impeller blades and the stator component includes a number of air directing grooves, and a ratio of the number of impeller blades to the number of air directing grooves includes no common divisible.

10. The blower according to claim 1 , wherein the housing has a maximum diameter of about 30-50 mm.

11. The blower according to claim 1 , wherein the blower is structured to provide pressurized air greater than 60 cmH 2 O.

12. The blower according to claim 1 , wherein the housing includes a housing piece configured and positioned to cover or shield power connection points to the motor.

13. The blower according to claim 1 , further comprising a flow sensor and a pressure sensor downstream of the stator component.

14. The blower according to claim 13 , wherein the housing includes flow straighteners downstream of the stator component and upstream of the flow sensor that are configured and positioned so as to straighten airflow entering the flow sensor.

15. The blower according to claim 13 , wherein the pressure sensor includes a flexible membrane in fluid communication with an airflow path through the blower, and wherein displacement of the flexible membrane provides an indication of pressure of the air in the airflow path.

16. The blower according to claim 13 , wherein the pressure sensor is positioned downstream of the flow sensor.

17. The blower according to claim 13 , further comprising a printed circuit board assembly mounted to the housing to control the flow sensor and the pressure sensor.

18. The blower according to claim 1 , further comprising a printed circuit board assembly mounted to the housing to control the motor.

19. The blower according to claim 1 , wherein the stator component includes first and second parts that cooperate to define the plurality of air directing grooves.

20. The blower according to claim 1 , wherein the stator component includes first and second parts that are coupled to one another by an o-ring.

21. The blower according to claim 1 , further comprising a passive air valve assembly provided to the proximal opening of the housing.

22. The blower according to claim 21 , wherein the valve assembly includes a first valve in communication with atmosphere and positioned and arranged to allow air to flow into the blower via the proximal opening during an inhalation phase of a patient's breathing cycle, and a second valve in communication with atmosphere and positioned and arranged to allow air to exit the blower via the proximal opening during an exhalation phase of the patient's breathing cycle.

23. The blower according to claim 1 , wherein the housing has a maximum outside height of 30-50 mm.

24. The blower according to claim 1 , wherein the blower has a weight of less than 500 gms.

25. The blower according to claim 24 , wherein the blower has a weight of between 50-200 gms.

26. The blower according to claim 1 , wherein the air directing grooves all converge or rejoin at a base of the stator component to form an axial exit.

27. The blower according to claim 1 , wherein the air directing grooves are structured and arranged to direct air from a centrifugal flow to an axial flow.

28. The blower according to claim 1 , wherein the stator component comprises a heat conductive material to dissipate heat from the motor.

29. The blower according to claim 1 , wherein the airflow through the blower is arranged to flow over the motor to dissipate heat from the motor.

30. The blower according to claim 1 , wherein the blower is adapted to provide relatively constant pressure at flow rates up to 80 L/min over a predetermined range of motor speeds.

31. The blower according to claim 30 , wherein the range of motor speeds is from about 30,000 rpm to 40,000 rpm.

32. A ventilator device comprising a blower according to claim 30 , further comprising tubing connected to the blower, and a patient interface connected to the tubing.

33. The ventilator device according to claim 32 , wherein the patient interface does not include a vent due to the relatively constant pressure provided by the blower.

34. A ventilator device comprising the blower according to claim 1 .

35. The ventilator device according to claim 34 , wherein the ventilator device is a positive airway pressure (PAP) device.

36. A ventilator for a patient, comprising:
a blower according to claim 1 structured to

Assignees

• Fu Timothy Tsun-Fai
• Martin Dion Charles Chewe
• Chalvignac Philippe Auguste
• Yang Quangang
• Creusot David
• Resmed Motor Technologies Inc

Inventors

• Fu Timothy Tsun-Fai
• Martin Dion Charles Chewe
• Chalvignac Philippe Auguste
• Yang Quangang
• Creusot David

Classifications

• A61M16/0666

  Nasal cannulas or tubing (devices for improving normal breathing through the nose A61F5/08; nose filters A62B23/06; outside holding devices A61M25/02) · CPC title

• A61M16/0633

  with forehead support · CPC title

• F04D25/084

  hand fans · CPC title

• A61M2209/088

  on the body · CPC title

• F04D25/0606

  the electric motor being specially adapted for integration in the pump · CPC title