# US 2014/0196719 A1 · Oxygen conservation system for commercial aircraft

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- Number: US 2014/0196719 A1
- Document ID: US20140196719A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 14/213,716
- Filed: 2014-03-14
- Published: 2014-07-17
- Earliest claimed: 2004-12-08
- Assignees: BE Intellectual Property, Inc.
- Applicants: Be Intellectual Property, Inc.
- Inventors: James C. Cannon
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140196719A1

## CPC

- A62B 7/04: and lung-controlled oxygen or air valves
- A62B 7/14: for high-altitude aircraft
- B64D 10/00: Flight suits
- B64D 2231/02: Supply or distribution systems
- A62B: DEVICES, APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR LIFE-SAVING (valves specially adapted for medical use A61M39/00; life-saving devices, apparatus or methods specially adapted for use in water B63C9/00; divers' equipment B63C11/00; specially adopted for use with aircraft, e.g. parachutes, ejector seats, {B64D17/00, B64D25/10}; rescue devices peculiar to mining E21F11/00)
- B64D: EQUIPMENT FOR FITTING IN OR TO AIRCRAFT; FLIGHT SUITS; PARACHUTES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF POWER PLANTS OR PROPULSION TRANSMISSIONS IN AIRCRAFT

## Abstract

An emergency oxygen supply system for use on aircraft in the event of a loss in cabin pressure is configured for delivering allotments of oxygen and timing the delivery such allotments to each passenger so as maximize the efficiency of the transfer of such oxygen into the passenger's bloodstream. The delivery of each allotment is selected so that the entire allotment is available for inhalation into the region of the lung most efficient at oxygen transfer while the volume of the allotment is selected to substantially coincide with the volume of such region of the lung.

## Claims

### Claim 1

In an oxygen supply system for delivering oxygen to passengers in an aircraft in the event of a loss of cabin pressure, the oxygen supply system including a source of oxygen, a reservoir bag for accumulating a volume of oxygen flowing from said source, and a face mask configured to force a passenger wearing said mask to inhale said accumulated volume of oxygen from said reservoir bag prior to allowing said passenger to inhale cabin air during each respiratory cycle, an improvement in the oxygen supply system comprising:
a pressure sensor fitted to said face mask, said pressure sensor being configured to detect a positive pressure within said face mask;
an inlet valve configured to control a flow of oxygen to said reservoir bag; and
a controller configured to open and close said inlet valve responsive to said pressure sensor to control the flow of oxygen to said reservoir bag to limit the flow of oxygen into said reservoir bag to a period of time during each respiratory cycle that is sufficient to allow only a selected volume of oxygen to accumulate in the reservoir bag, wherein said controller is configured to open said inlet valve immediately upon detection of said positive pressure within said face mask by said pressure sensor, and said controller is configured to control delivery of said selected volume of oxygen to said reservoir bag prior to inhalation of said selected volume of oxygen by the passenger.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The oxygen supply system of claim 1, wherein said selected volume of oxygen comprises a volume of oxygen sufficient to maintain a selected oxygen saturation level in a selected population of passengers at a prevailing cabin pressure altitude.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The oxygen supply system of claim 1, wherein said controller is configured to close said inlet valve during a passenger's inhalation phase.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The oxygen supply system of claim 3, wherein said controller is configured to open said inlet valve during a passenger's exhalation phase.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The oxygen supply system of claim 1, wherein said controller is configured to control delivery of said selected volume of oxygen to said reservoir bag prior to completion of the passenger's exhalation phase.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The oxygen supply system of claim 1, wherein said controller is configured to select said selected volume of oxygen as a function of at least one of cabin pressure and altitude.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The oxygen supply system of claim 1, wherein said source of oxygen comprises a container of compressed oxygen gas.