Vaporizer carousel for anesthesia machine

A vaporizer carousel anesthesia dispensing device capable of providing a carrier gas atmosphere when in a first mode, and an anesthetizing quantity of anesthetic when in a second mode, which comprises:

• a turntable having means for mounting a plurality of vaporizers and rotatable about its axis, the turntable having a plurality of sets of an inlet port and an outlet port with each set of an inlet port and an outlet port adapted for providing communication with the interior of a single vaporizer;
• a manifold containing means defining first and second directing chambers, each of said chambers having an inlet and at least first and second outlets spaced apart from each other, a feed port, an exhaust port, a manifold outlet, a first passageway providing communication from the exhaust port to the first outlets in the first and second directing chambers and to the manifold outlet, a second passageway providing communication from the feed port to the second outlets in the first and second directing chambers;
• means for providing fluid communication to the inlets of the directing chambers;
• alignment means for effecting registration of the feed port and the exhaust port with the inlet port and the outlet port, for providing communication with the interior of a preselected vaporizer;
• means for effecting relative reciprocal and rotational movement between the manifold and the turntable from a first mode where the feed and exhaust ports are not in sealing engagement to a second mode where the feed and exhaust ports are in sealing engagement with the inlet and outlet ports, respectively, of a set;
• separate directing valve means disposed in each of the first and second directing chambers, each valve means having a first position permitting communication from the inlet to the chamber to the first outlet from such chamber, while preventing communication from the inlet to the chamber to the second outlet from such chamber and a second position permitting communication from the inlet to the chamber to the second outlet from such chamber, while preventing communication from the inlet to the chamber to the first outlet from such chamber, the valve means normally being in the first position, and each valve means being separately actuable to the second position;
• control means for selectively and separately actuating the directing valve means in a predetermined manner when the feed and exhaust ports are sealingly engaged with the inlet and outlet port;
• of a preselected vaporizer and
• valve means associated with the inlet ports and with the outlet ports, the inlet and outlet port valve means normally being in a first closed position preventing communication through the port associated with the valve means and separately actuable to a second position permitting communication through the port associated with the valve means upon sealing engagement of the inlet port and the outlet port of a set with the feed port and exhaust port, respectively;
• whereby when registration and sealing engagement of the feed port with an inlet port of a set and registration and sealing engagement of the exhaust port with the outlet port of the set occurs in the second mode, the valve means associated with the set of an inlet valve and an outlet valve are actuated to the second position and at least one of the directing valve means is actuated to its second position thereby permitting gas to flow from the external carrier gas supply and at least one of the inlets in said first and second directing chambers to said feed port, said inlet port, through a vaporizer, said outlet port, said exhaust port, and then to said manifold outlet, and when in the first mode and the feed and exhaust ports are not sealingly engaged with a set of inlet and outlet ports, all valve means are in the first position directing flow from both inlets in the first and second directing chambers to the manifold outlet.