US1938483A - Respiration apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 5, 1933.

A. H. L. CHRISTENSEN 1,938,483

RESPIRATION APPARATUS Filed y 14, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Wen/or @rwtem 1933. A. H. L. CHRISTENSEN 1,938,483

RESP IRATION APPARATUS I Filed May 14, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 firen/ar J7. 171E C/zrelyZf-enaew,

May 9k Patented Dec. 5, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Germany, assig'nor to Lubeck, Germany Otto Heinrich Driiger,

Application May 14, 1930, Serial'No. 452,473,

and

8 Claims.

The invention relates to a respiration apparatus with automatic nutrient gas supply controlled by the lungs. With such apparatuses, the nutrient gas supply has hitherto been controlled bya movable wall in the form of an auxiliary respiration sack or a diaphragm chamber situated in a respiration container (for example, a respiration sack), or in an auxiliary respiration container, the said wall being externally under the action of the atmospheric pressure, and internally under the action of pressure variations, caused by the respiration of the wearer of the apparatus, in the air circuit of the respiration apparatus. Such apparatuses are subject to the danger of an excess charge of nitrogen, since with oxygen which is not pure,

but contains nitrogen, in particular with the use of so-called industrial oxygen, as is used in oxygen welding and cutting, the quantity of air present in the apparatus becomes gradually enriched with nitrogen, or when the apparatus is fully respirated with atmospheric air. The nitrogen is not used up in the lungs in breathing, but is breathed out again unconsumed and is also not absorbed in the purifying cartridges.

The consequence of this over-charge of nitrogen is that the quantity of oxygen in the apparatus becomes constantly smaller, so that there is a lack of oxygen for the wearer of the apparatus since the lung automatic device in consequence of the lack of low pressure necessary for its actuation, is no longer sufilciently actuated. The excess of nitrogen may finally become so large that hardly anything but nitrogen circulates in the apparatus. Movements of the lung automatic devices then cease entirely, as no reductions of the quantity of gas present in the circuit can any longer take place, and the wearer of the apparatus dies from want of oxygen.

In order to overcome this danger from nitro-i gen, steps have been taken with lung automatic apparatuses of the kind described to add to the lung automatic oxygen dosing, a further continuous dosing of a definite amount. In this way, whilst a supply of oxygen continuously took place, the arrangement had the defect of a certain loss of oxygen, as this oxygen supply exceeded the requirements in oxygen when not working or only lightly working.

The invention is based on the idea that in a lung automatic apparatus of the kind mentioned even when only nitrogen or practically only when nitrogen circulates, that is, no reduction of the quantity of air takes place suihcient for the working of the lung automatic dein Germany May 25, 1929 vice, the lungs circulate as before a certain quantity of respiration air. This quantity is dependent on the depth of the respiration, its speed or its dynamic pressure is dependent on the strength of the respiration, its frequency, however, on the frequency of the breaths. According to the invention, contrary to known lung automatic devices, it is exactly this respiration air circulation which is used to control the lung automatic device. This takes place in such manner that the supply of oxygen corresponds as in the known apparatuses, to the consumption of oxygen, while the danger of the nitrogen is completely excluded since the supply of oxygen no longer depends upon a reduction in volume of the gas content of the apparatus. The invention therefore provides that the controlling device of the nutrient gas supply is periodically in such manner actuated by the energy of flow of the gas content of the apparatus moved by the action of the lungs that the nutrient gas quantity supplied is in direct dependence on the frequency, duration and strength of the inhaling and exhaling breaths. This can be attained by a movable throttling device being connected in the path traversed by the gas content of the apparatus during the respiration of its wearer, which throttling device opens and keeps open the apparatus to the nutrient gas supply as soon and as long as a force overcoming its resistance is exerted on the throttling device by the movement of the gas content of theapparatus. Preferably, the throttling device is formed by a flap valve seated on the control member of the apparatus to the nutrient gas supply. Furthermore, the throttling device or the flap valve can at the same time .serve as inhaling and exhaling valve.

. Apart from the fact that with the new apparatus a basically different way is taken, compared with the known way, to effect a lung automatic supply of oxygen, with this apparatus the nitrogen danger is avoided without it being necessary to add to the apparatus a continuous supply of oxygen, as previously. The loss of oxygen connected with this, is therefore obviated and the apparatus works, although it is no longer subject to the nitrogen danger, as economically with oxygen as the previous lung automatic devices which were subject to the nitrogen danger. With the apparatus according to the invention, nutrient gas is supplied with each breath, the quantity varying with the extent of the lung activity, that is, with the strength and the frequency of the respirations. A dependence of the nutrient gas supply on the degree of fullness of 2. the respiration container, (respiration sack) does not, on the contrary, exist.

The drawings show examples of carrying out the invention.

The respiration apparatus according to Fig. 1 shows the oxygen container 1 with shut-off valve 2, and pressure reducing valve 3, the respiration sack 4, and the carbonic acid absorption cartridge 5. The respiration sack 4 and the cartridge 5 are connected by a tube 6 in which is inserted a respiration valve chamber '1 with inhaling valve 8- and exhaling valve 9. The mouthpiece 10 which may be replaced by a mask, is connected with the valve case 7 on the one hand by an exhaling pipe 11, and on the other hand byan inhaling pipe 12. The oxygen is supplied to the air circuit of the apparatus by a tube 13, the mouthpiece of which is normally closed by a valve 15 which is under the action of a spring 14. On the spindle 16 of the valve plate 15 engages a double armed lever 1'7 which is journalled at 18. This lever is carried in a special chamber 19 which is inserted between the cartridge 5 and the respiration sack 4.

. The lever 1'7 carries at its end a flap valve 20, the

valve seat 21 of which is formed by the crater of a throttled-opening 22. The opening 22 is made in the wall of a tube 23 which connects the cartridge 5 with the chamber 19.

As will be seen, the arrangement is so contrived that the spring 14 not only acts so as to close the oxygen supply valve 15 but also the control flap 20. As soon, however, as the apparatus is in use, there is with each exhalation of the wearer of the apparatus an excess pressure in the pipe 23 which is able to open the control flap 20 against-the action of the spring 14. The consequence is, therefore, that oxygen flows through the pipe 13 and the supply valve 15 into the chamber 19 and thus into the'respiration sack 4. The quantity of the oxygen supplied therefore varies according to the strength of the excess pressure on one side of the control flap 20 created in the exhalation, and according to the mass of its movement.

The embodiment according to Fig. 2 differs from that of Fig. 1 only in that the chamber 19 with the pipe 23, control flap 20 and double lever 17 are situated not in front of but behind the respiration sack 4 in the direction of the air circuit of the apparatus as indicated by arrow, and thus the control flap 20 is actuated by the low pressure created by the inhalation.

The embodiment according to Fig. 3 is substantially identical with the apparatus according to Fig. 1, and differs from this only in the position of the chamber 19, which in this case connects in the perpendicular direction the cartridge 9 with the respiration sick 4, so that the plate 15 of the oxygen supply valve does not open with but against the oxygen pressure, is kept closed by a spring 14 acting against the double lever, and the control flap 20 closes a throttle opening 22 connecting the chamber 19 directly with the respiration sack 4.

The embodiment according to Fig. 4 corresponds againto that of Fig. 3 with the difference only that the control lever 17 is in this case'a onearmed lever, and the plate 15 of the oxygen supply valve again opens in the direction of the oxygen Fig. 5 shows a special form of construction of the control apparatus according to Fig. 1. The double armed lever 1'! carrying at its end the con- .trol flap 20, here acts with its other arm 17" on a 76 valve come 15 movable axially to the oxygen pipe 13 and is on the side opposite the valve cone 15, under the action of a spring 14.

Fig. 6 shows a special embodiment of the control flap 20 which, in this case, is provided with a bent-over edge 20 by means of which the energy of flow of the air streaming through the throttle opening 20 is better utilized.

Fig. 7, finally, shows a further possibility of construction of the control apparatus. Here, the control lever 1'7 is made one armed and is hinged at 18 It acts through a one-armed intermediate lever 25 on a double-armed lever 26 of which one end is under the action of the spring 14, and the other end of which acts on the valve cone 15 movable in a straight line to the oxygen supply 13.

The control flap 20 can also serve at the same time as respiration valve (Fig. 1) or as inhalation valve (Fig. 2) in which case the separate exhalation and inhalation valves 8 and 9 are dispensed with.

I claim:

1. A closed circuit respiration apparatus comprising in combination a respiration container, a nutrient gas supply, a purifying cartridge, and a throttling device positioned in the path of flow of the exhaled and inhaled gas, means operated by the throttling device to control the nutrient gas supply, the throttling device operating to control the nutrient gas supply in response to the movement of the exhaled and inhaled gas in the circuit.

2. A respiration apparatus comprising a respiration container, a nutrient gas supply, a purifying cartridge, and means for controlling the amount of nutrient gas admitted to the apparatus, the said means including a throttling or cut oil valve positioned inthe path of flow of the exhaled and inhaled gases and operated in response to the flow of the inhaled and exhaled gases in the apparatus, said throttling valve functioning substantially independently of the external atmospheric pressure.

3. The structure defined in claim 2 including a valve for controlling the admission of nutrient gas, in which the throttling or cut-off valve is operated in response to the flow of the inhaled and exhaled gas, and operates said valve for controlling the admission of nutrient gas.

4. In combination a closed circuit respiration apparatus comprising a respiration container, a nutrient gas supply, a purifying cartridge, and means positioned in the part within the circuit for controlling the nutrient gas supply, the said means being operated by the difference in pressure existing in the closed circuit on opposite sides of said control means, and resulting from the inhalation and exhalation of the wearer of the respiration apparatus, the said control means functioning substantially independently of the external atmospheric pressure.

5. In combination a respiration apparatus comprising a respiration containerya nutrient gas supply, a purifying cartridge, and a control member positioned partly in the path of flow, the said control member operating in response to the difference in pressure resulting from the exhalation and inhalation of the user, the said member serving to control the admission of nutrient gas in direct response to the frequency, duration, and force of the respiration, substantially independently of the external atmospheric pressure.

6. A closed circuit respiration apparatus comprising a respiration container, a nutrient gas supply, a purifying cartridge, and means positioned partly in the circuit for controlling the 15 gas and actuated by the din'erence in pressure between parts of the circuit positioned on each side 0! the said means, the said difference in pressure resulting from the movement of the exhaled and inhaled gas in the circuit, said means functioning substantially-independently of the external atmospheric pressure, and a second means, operated by said first named means, for controlling the admission of nutrient gas to the apparatus.

8. A closed circuit respiration apparatus comprising in combination a respiration container, a nutrient gas supply, a purifying cartridge, and means partially positioned in the path of flow of the exhaled and inhaled gases for the purpose of controlling the quantity of nutrient gas admitted from the nutrient gas supply, exclusively in response to the draft caused by the flow of the exhaled and inhaled gas in the circuit on either side of said member resulting from the respiration, said means including a throttling valve which acts in response to both the exhalation and inhalation of the user of the device.

LORENZ

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