Patent Application
20170336086
The present disclosure relates to a liquid storage device and more particularly to a liquid container for gas humidification to be used in conjunction with a pressurized gas supplier and a humidification method thereof.
Sleep apnea is a common respiration disorder which causes repeated respiration cessation of patients during sleep because of airway collapse which results in airway obstruction and blocks the flow of air into the lungs. Patients with sleep apnea generally use a respiratory therapy device to alleviate the sleep-disordered breathing events.
Among known therapies, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy has been proven to be an effective approach for some respiratory conditions. Briefly, the CPAP therapy uses a blower to provide pressurized air passing through a mask worn by a patient during sleep and into the respiratory tract to support the airway and prevent collapse, thereby enabling the patient to breathe smoothly during sleep and maintaining quality sleep.
To avoid excessive dryness of the airway resulted from continuous supply of gas thereto, many commercially available respiratory therapy devices are provided with a humidifier to humidify the gas outputted from the blower before delivery to patients. Many gas humidifiers consist of a liquid container and a humidification means, such as a heating means or an ultrasonic atomization means. For example, a heater plate may be provided at the bottom of the liquid container to heat the liquid contained therein and produce vapor. Pressurized gas enters the humidification chamber from the inlet of the liquid container, moves along a flow path defined in the liquid container and becomes humidified at the same time, and then leaves the liquid container from the outlet and then moves through a hose and a respiratory mask and into the patient's respiratory tract.
Although there are already many humidifiers available commercially, they are not fully satisfactory in terms of use and operation. In particular, the design of existing liquid container needs significant improvement to overcome the problems such as poor humidification efficiency, operation noise that affects sleep, complicated structures and high production costs. Therefore, there is a need to address the aforesaid problems and other aspects.
It is a primary object of the present disclosure to provide a liquid container for gas humidification, which comprises: a first component provided with a gas inlet; a second component connected with the first component and defining a liquid receiving space; a baffle member; and a gas exhaust structure including a first opening and a second opening communicated with each other; wherein the first component includes a first portion in proximity to the gas inlet and a second portion distal from the gas inlet, the first portion and the baffle member defining a first space, the second portion and the baffle member defining a second space, the baffle member being arranged between the first space and the second space, the first opening of the gas exhaust structure being arranged in the second space; and wherein the first portion of the first component includes a first guide structure configured to direct gas to the liquid receiving space, and the second portion of the first component includes a second guide structure configured to direct the gas away from the liquid receiving space, such that the gas enters the gas exhaust structure from the first opening of the gas exhaust structure and leaves the liquid container for gas humidification from the second opening of the gas exhaust structure.
In the liquid container for gas humidification, the first opening of the gas exhaust structure may be an upward-facing opening, and the periphery of the first opening may have a curvature corresponding to that of the second portion of the first component; for example, the vertical distance between each point of the periphery of the first opening and the second portion of the first component is the same or equal.
With the structural design of the liquid container for gas humidification, in a humidification state, the second space has a humidity greater than that of the first space.
The gas exhaust structure may be an L-shaped pipe, and the first opening and the second opening are formed at two ends of the L-shaped pipe. For example, the L-shaped pipe may have a longer section extending downwardly from the second space and a shorter section protruded outwardly from the second component, and the second opening is preferably configured at a level lower than that of the gas inlet of the first component.
The liquid container for gas humidification may further comprise a partition board arranged between the first and second components, wherein the first component includes a first baffle structure, and the partition board includes a second baffle structure, such that the baffle member is defined by the first baffle structure and the second baffle structure collectively.
Furthermore, for the liquid container for gas humidification, the first component and/or the second component may be provided with a recognition structure, and the second opening of the gas exhaust structure may be provided with an elbow to change the gas output direction.
Another object of the present disclosure is to provide a gas humidification method, comprising: (A) introducing a flow of gas from a gas inlet of a liquid container into a space with low humidity; (B) deflecting the flow of gas to agitate liquid in the liquid container with the flow of gas; (C) deflecting the flow of gas into a space with high humidity; and (D) enabling the flow of gas to leave the liquid container via a gas exhaust structure from a gas outlet lower than the gas inlet.
The gas humidification method is preferably performed by using the aforesaid liquid container for gas humidification, and step (B) may comprise: deflecting the flow of gas introduced from the gas inlet to enable the flow of gas to move toward and agitate the liquid in the liquid container and then to pass through the liquid at a direction parallel to liquid surface.
Still another object of the present disclosure is to provide a humidifier assembly, comprising a container body, a gas inlet structure, a gas exhaust structure and a partitioning structure, wherein the gas inlet structure is formed at an upper portion of the container body, the gas exhaust structure is formed at a lower portion of the container body, and the partitioning structure is arranged in the container body and between the gas inlet structure and the gas exhaust structure.
In the aforesaid embodiment, the partitioning structure may divide the internal space of the humidifier assembly into two spaces, including for example a space with low humidity close to the gas inlet structure and a space with high humidity close to the gas exhaust structure. In addition, in this embodiment, the gas inlet structure and the gas exhaust structure are respectively arranged at the upper portion and lower portion of the container body, thereby defining a top-down flow path between the gas inlet structure and the gas exhaust structure during the gas humidification process.
In addition, the partitioning structure may provide other functions. For example, the partitioning structure may accommodate therein supplemental liquid, such as water, and act as a supplemental liquid container. For example, the partitioning structure may be composed of multiple parts that collectively define an internal reservoir space or may be a one-piece container defining an internal reservoir space, and a liquid outlet structure may be extended from at least one side thereof to output supplemental liquid. Accordingly, when the liquid receiving space contains insufficient liquid, the partitioning structure may supply additional liquid supplement in an automated or controlled manner.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general descriptions and the following detailed descriptions are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention as defined in the claims.
A more complete understanding of the subject matter can be derived by referring to the detailed description and claims when considered in conjunction with the following figures, wherein like reference numbers refer to similar elements throughout the figures.
Embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying figures to improve understanding of concepts as presented herein. Since various aspects and embodiments are merely exemplary and not limiting, after reading the present disclosure, skilled artisans appreciate that other aspects and embodiments are possible without departing from the scope of the invention. Other features and benefits of any one or more of the embodiments will be apparent from the following detailed description and the claims.
The use of “a,” “an” or “one” is employed to describe elements described herein. This is done merely for convenience and to give a general sense of the scope of the invention. Accordingly, this description should be read to include one or at least one and the singular also includes the plural unless it is obvious that it is meant otherwise. In addition, as used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, an element, structure, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is not necessarily limited to only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such element, structure, article, or apparatus.
As illustrated in
The liquid container for gas humidification 1 mainly comprises a first component 10, a second component 20, a baffle member 30 and a gas exhaust structure 40, which are described in detail below.
Refer also to
By the structural design of the first portion 13, the baffle member 30 and the second portion 15, vapor generated by a heater plate or other humidification means and vapor produced by the foregoing physical atomization are primarily present in the second space S2, so that the humidity of the second space S2 is greater than that of the first space S1. This design enables pressurized gas to rapidly pass through the low humidity area, such as the first space S1 and the narrower channel between the baffle member 30 and the liquid surface, which shortens the time the flow of gas stays in the container, and enables the pressurized gas to carry abundant vapor with it in the high humidity second space S2 before leaving the container, thereby providing the advantage of significant enhancement of humidification efficiency. After passing through the baffle member 30, the pressurized gas will be guided by the second guide structure 151 (e.g. internal curved surface) of the second portion 15 to move away from the liquid receiving space LS, such as moving toward the top of the second portion 15. When moving along a path defined by the internal curved surface of the second portion 15, the flow of gas is mixed with vapor and at the same time directed toward the first opening 41 in the second space S2 and into the gas exhaust structure 40; after that, the flow of gas leaves the liquid container for gas humidification 1 and moves toward patient's respiratory tract.
In one embodiment, the first component 10 is configured as a structure with two sides arcuated and a middle section recessed, as illustrated by
As illustrated in
A chamber defined by the first component 10 and the second component 20 is further equipped with a baffle member 30 as a barrier obstructing gas passage from the first portion 13 of the first component 10 to the second portion 15 and dividing the internal space of the first component 10 into two major portions, wherein the first portion 13 and the baffle member 30 define the first space S1, and the second portion 15 and the baffle member 30 define the second space S2.
The baffle member 30 may be configured as a structure protruding or extending downwardly from the inner side of the first component 10, or as an independent element arranged between the first component 10 and the second component 20. With the presence of the baffle member 30, when pressurized gas enters from the gas inlet 11 into the first space S1 and moves toward the second space S2, it will be obstructed and prevented from leaving directly via the gas exhaust structure 40, which avoids insufficient humidification of gas. As illustrated in
As shown in
The ensure airtightness after assembly, washers 80 can be mounted to the upper and lower sides of the partition board 50, and corresponding grooves can be formed at the first component 10 and/or the second component 20. For example, the washers 80 may increase the friction between the partition board 50 and the second component 20 to prevent the partition board 50 and the second component 20 from separation when a user opens the first component 10 to load liquid to the liquid receiving space LS.
The gas exhaust structure 40 is a gas communicating structure and includes a first opening 41 and a second opening 43 communicated with each other. The two openings define therebetween a gas passage by which the humidified gas can be exhausted out of the liquid container for gas humidification 1. As illustrated in
In one embodiment, the gas exhaust structure 40 is an L-shaped pipe, with the first opening 41 and the second opening 43 arranged at two ends of the L-shaped pipe, wherein the first opening 41 is an upward-facing opening, i.e. an opening facing the first component 10, positioned above the second component 20 and slightly below the first component 10 and within the second space S2 defined by the second portion 15 of the first component 10. Accordingly, after the flow of gas is guided in the second space S2 by the second guide structure 151, it will gradually move upward to the area around the top of the second portion 15 and change its direction and move downward and enter the gas exhaust structure 40 from the first opening 41.
As shown in
By configuring the gas inlet 11 at a higher position and the gas outlet (second opening 43) at a lower position, when the liquid container for gas humidification 1 is placed at a position higher than or at the same level as the user, the connection hose between the liquid container 1 and the respiratory mask can work without or with only limited bending, preventing the problems associated to intermittent gas supply or broken hose of conventional liquid containers with a gas outlet arranged at the upper portion wherein the hose needs to be bent downwardly during use. In addition, as illustrated in
To allow easy operation by users at night time, the first component 10 and/or second component 20 can be provided with recognition structures 12, 22, such as bumps or notches for indication, such that users may locate the positions of different elements or structures of the liquid container for gas humidification 1 by touching. Moreover, the recognition structures 12, 22 may be configured as braille marks or include embossment structures arranged in an identifiable way to meet different needs of different users.
Refer now to
During operation, the heater plate of the base 2 heats the bottom of the second component 20, such that the liquid received in the liquid receiving space LS is vaporized to increase the humidity in the chambers of the first component 10 and the second component 20. Pressurized gas provided by the base 2 enters the liquid container for gas humidification 1 from the gas inlet 11 and arrives at the first space S1, which is a space with low humidity. In the first space S1, the flow of gas, under the influence of the first guide structure 131, changes the flow direction and moves away from the gas inlet 11 and moves downwardly to the second space S2. With the curved surface of the first guide structure 131, pressurized gas may hit the liquid surface at a high velocity, not only facilitating vapor formation from the liquid but also increasing the humidity of the gas. After that, the gas passes through the narrow channel between the baffle member 30 and liquid surface at a higher velocity along the inner curved surface between the first portion 13 and the second portion 15 and at the same time agitates the liquid surface, not only shortening the duration of the gas staying in the liquid container 1 but also promoting physical atomization to facilitate gas humidification. After passing through the baffle member 30, the flow of gas enters a high humidity second space S2 which is distal from the gas inlet 11.
In the second space S2, the gas is directed by the curved surface of the second guide structure 151 to move away from the liquid surface and at the same time carry along abundant vapor in the second space S2 and gradually move toward the top of the second portion 15. Due to the reverse U-shaped structure of the second portion 15 similar to that of the first portion 13, when the gas reaches the top, it is turned top-down to move downward and enter the gas exhaust structure 40 from the first opening 41 located in the second space S2 and leave the liquid container for gas humidification 1 from the second opening 43 of the gas exhaust structure 40 and move toward the patient's respiratory tract.
Accordingly, during operation, gas entering the liquid container for gas humidification 1 from the gas inlet 11 will be subject to a first directional change in the low humidity first space S1 to move toward the liquid surface at a high velocity and pass through the baffle member 30 at an even higher velocity and arrive at the second space S2; after that, the gas will be subject to a second directional change to pass through the high humidity environment and get effectively humidified, followed by a third directional change to enter the gas exhaust structure 40. Therefore, without using complicated deflection boards, the present disclosure can employ the design of the first component 10, the second component 20, the baffle member 30 and the gas exhaust structure 40 with relatively simple structures to achieve the purposes of high humidification efficiency (shorter gas flow path and higher flow velocity of gas in the space with low humidity) as well as high humidification degree (the gas turning multiple times in the space with high humidity and moving along a sinuous path).
Furthermore, in one embodiment, as illustrated in
In this embodiment, the gas inlet structure is formed at the upper part of the container body, the gas exhaust structure is formed at the lower part of the container body, and the partitioning structure is arranged in the container body and between the gas inlet structure and the gas exhaust structure. Thus, the container body defines therein a gas flow path. During operation, the gas inlet structure and the gas exhaust structure are located at different sides with respect to the liquid surface, such that the gas enters the container from the upper part thereof and leaves after humidification from the lower part of the container for delivery to the user. This design improves the problems associated to discontinued gas supply or hose bending of conventional liquid containers with a gas outlet arranged at the upper part.
In addition, as illustrated in
In one embodiment, a water discharge structure, such as a valve hole, an opening, a tube or the like, can be disposed at the partitioning structure 30, so as to achieve the purpose of liquid supply in an automated or controlled manner. For example, an outlet pipe 55 may be extended from the bottom of the partitioning structure 30 downwardly in the container body. When the liquid container for gas humidification 1, such as a humidifier assembly, holds a sufficient amount of liquid, the liquid level is higher than the opening at the bottom end of the outlet pipe 55 and the outlet pipe 55 is submerged by the liquid. Meanwhile, due to the balanced air pressure, the liquid amount or liquid level in the partitioning structure 30 is maintained constant substantially and no liquid supply occurs. On the other hand, when the liquid in the liquid container for gas humidification 1 is vaporized during the gas humidification process and decreased such that the liquid level lowers to a certain height making the bottom opening of the outlet pipe 55 higher than the liquid level in the container 1, the liquid will flow from the reservoir space 53 to the liquid receiving space LS until the opening is closed by the liquid again.
The above-mentioned liquid supplement design can achieve the purpose of automatic liquid supply in the liquid container for gas humidification 1 and maintain a substantially constant amount of liquid therein. Undoubtedly, a skilled person can determine the configuration, such as the position of the outlet pipe 55, pipe diameter or pipe length, of the liquid discharge structure according to the amount of liquid to be received in the liquid receiving space LS, and two or more identical or different liquid discharge structures can be arranged to the partitioning structure 30 if needed.
As mentioned above, in the present disclosure, different elements or structures may be formed as one piece or individually and separately formed and then assembled together. For example, suitable molds may be used to make any part of the liquid container or the liquid storage device, such as using extrusion molding, injection molding or other molding processes known to a person skilled in the art. Furthermore, the liquid container or the humidification device described in the present disclosure may be made of various materials, such different plastic materials, or materials commonly used for medical grade products.
The foregoing detailed description is merely illustrative in nature and is not intended to limit the embodiments of the subject matter or the application and uses of such embodiments. As used herein, the term “exemplary” means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any implementation described herein as exemplary is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over others.
Moreover, while at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary one or more embodiments described herein are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the claimed subject matter in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient guide for implementing the described one or more embodiments. Also, various changes can be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the scope defined by the claims, which include known equivalents and foreseeable equivalents at the time of filing this patent application.
