US 7,171,963 B2 · Product pump for an oxygen concentrator

Abstract

A product pump for pumping separated product gas from an oxygen concentrator which produces oxygen-rich product gas by utilizing a vacuum swing adsorption (VSA) process. The oxygen concentrator comprises a cartridge containing an adsorbent material for separating the product gas from ambient air, a vacuum pump which provides a vacuum source, a valve for selectively connecting the vacuum pump to the cartridge and product pump, and a reservoir. The product pump comprises a pumping chamber having a product gas inlet and a product gas outlet, a piston movable in the chamber, a vacuum inlet in the chamber on an opposite side of the piston from the product gas inlet and outlet for providing a vacuum to cause the piston to draw product gas through the product gas inlet into the chamber, and a spring for providing a spring force to force the product gas out the product gas outlet.

Claims5

Dependent claims

A method of providing oxygen-rich gas separated from ambient air to a patient, the method comprising:

performing vacuum swing adsorption cycles in each of a plurality of adsorbent beds containing an adsorbent selective for nitrogen, each cycle including a feed phase, an evacuation phase, and a repressurization phase;
pumping separated oxygen to a reservoir, wherein the pumping comprises:
a) applying a vacuum to move a piston in a first direction to draw product gas into a pumping chamber while compressing a spring connected to the piston;
b) interrupting the vacuum to release the compression on the spring and drive the piston in a second direction to push the product gas from the pumping chamber into the storage reservoir;
and
delivering product gas from the reservoir to the patient.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Product pump for an oxygen concentrator

Life of this patent

Product pump for an oxygen concentrator

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims5