Air mattress control unit

A system for controlling the flow of air from between an outside environment, a blower having an intake port and an exhaust port and the chambers of a patient supporting low air loss air mattress, comprising;

• a rotary valve having a cylindrical housing and a gate member,
• the housing including a base wall and a cylindrical outer wall, an inlet port in the outer wall that communicates with the blower exhaust port, a pattern of air mattress supply ports in the outer wall communicating with lines supplying chambers of the air mattress and an outlet port in the base wall communicating with the blower intake port,
• the gate member having a first end wall a second end wall, and a horizontal wall connecting the first end wall and the second end wall that divides the gate member into a first portion and a second portion, the gate member further having a first port in the second end wall communicating the first portion with the outside environment, a second port in the first end wall communicating with the first portion, and a third port in the first end wall communicating with the second portion,
• the gate member rotatably received by the housing so that the gate member first end wall is closely proximate to the housing base wall,
• the gate member rotatable between a first position aligning the gate member second port with the housing outlet port, blocking the gate member third port with the housing base wall and communicating the gate member second portion with both the valve housing inlet port and the air mattress supply ports, thereby communicating the blower intake with the outside environment and communicating the blower exhaust with the air mattress supply ports,
• and a second position aligning the gate member third port with the housing outlet port as the gate member, blocking the gate member second port with the housing base wall, communicating the gate member first portion with the valve housing inlet port and communicating the gate member second portion with the air mattress supply ports, thereby communicating the blower exhaust with the outside environment and communicating the blower intake with the air mattress supply ports to quickly deflate the air mattress.

A rotary valve for controlling the flow of air from between a blower having an intake port and an exhaust port, an outside environment and the chambers of a patient supporting low air loss air mattress, comprising;

• a housing and a gate member,
• the housing including an inlet port communicating with the blower exhaust port, air mattress supply ports communicating with lines supplying chambers of the air mattress and an outlet port communicating with the blower intake port, the housing rotatably receiving the gate member,
• the gate member divided by a wall into a first portion and a second portion and further having a first port communicating the first portion with the outside environment, a second port communicating with the first portion and a third port communicating with the second portion,
• the gate member rotatable between a first position aligning the gate member second port with the valve housing outlet port and communicating the gate member second portion with the valve housing inlet port and the air mattress supply ports, thereby communicating the blower intake with the outside environment and communicating the blower exhaust with the air mattress supply ports,
• and a second position aligning the gate member third port with the valve housing outlet port and communicating the first portion of the gate member with the valve housing inlet port and communicating the second portion of the gate member with the air mattress supply ports, thereby communicating the blower exhaust with the outside environment and communicating the blower intake with the air mattress supply ports to quickly deflate the air mattress.