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US 6,644,311 B1Granted
Monitoring fluid flow in a pressure support system
AssigneeRespironics, Inc.
InventorsPatrick W. Truitt, Winslow K. Duff
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention pertains to a pressure support system in which a flow or volume of gas is measured without using a dedicated flow element used in a conventional flow meter. Instead, the present invention provides a tortuous gas flow path in which a pressure differential is created between two points in the tortuous path. This pressure differential created by the gas flow path provides the necessary pressure drop for measuring the gas flow and/or gas volume passing through the pressure support system.
Claims26
A pressure support system comprising:
- a gas carrying conduit having a first end adapted to receive breathing gas from a gas source and a second end;
- a pressure generator disposed at a first location along the conduit for generating a flow of breathing gas within the conduit;
- a first port defined in the conduit at a second location;
- a second port defined in the conduit at a third location, wherein the conduit defines a tortuous path between the second location and the third location so as to induce a pressure differential in the flow of breathing gas between the second location and the third location without providing a flow restricting element in the conduit between the second location and the third location, and
- a sensor associated with the first port and the second port adapted to measure a characteristic of the breathing gas in the conduit resulting from the pressure differential and to output a signal indicative thereof.
2 more elements
A method of providing pressure support comprising:
- providing a gas carrying conduit having a first end adapted to receive breathing gas from a gas source and a second end;
- generating a flow of breathing gas within the conduit via a pressure generator disposed at a first location along the conduit;
- providing a first port in the conduit at a second location;
- providing a second port in the conduit at a third location, wherein the conduit defines a tortuous path between the second location and the third location so as to induce a pressure differential in the flow of breathing gas between the second location and the third location without providing a flow restricting element in the conduit between the second location and the third location, and
- measuring, via a sensor associated with the first port and the second port, a characteristic of the breathing gas in the conduit resulting from the pressure differential and outputting a signal indicative thereof.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.