IPC분류정보
국가/구분 |
United States(US) Patent
등록
|
국제특허분류(IPC7판) |
|
출원번호 |
US-0312180
(2005-12-20)
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등록번호 |
US-7510601
(2009-03-31)
|
발명자
/ 주소 |
- Whitley,Roger Dean
- Wagner,Glenn Paul
- LaBuda,Matthew James
- Schiff,David R.
- Byar,Peter D.
- Weiman,Andrew M.
- GaleWyrick,Seth
|
출원인 / 주소 |
- Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.
|
대리인 / 주소 |
|
인용정보 |
피인용 횟수 :
38 인용 특허 :
17 |
초록
▼
Portable medical oxygen concentrator comprising an air separation system adapted to recover oxygen from air; a bottom platform and a shell having an outer wall, wherein the shell is detachably connected to the bottom platform, wherein the shell and bottom platform define an enclosed volume when the
Portable medical oxygen concentrator comprising an air separation system adapted to recover oxygen from air; a bottom platform and a shell having an outer wall, wherein the shell is detachably connected to the bottom platform, wherein the shell and bottom platform define an enclosed volume when the shell is connected to the bottom platform, and wherein the air separation system is disposed in the enclosed volume; and one or more rechargeable batteries detachably connected to the outer wall of the shell and adapted to provide power to drive the air separation system. The air separation system may comprises a pressure swing adsorption system having two or more adsorbent columns and a rotary valve for directing gas flow sequentially to, from, and among the columns. A base assembly attached to the bottom platform may be adapted to support the two or more adsorbent columns and the rotary valve.
대표청구항
▼
The invention claimed is: 1. A portable medical oxygen concentrator comprising (a) an air separation system adapted to recover oxygen from air, wherein the air separation system comprises (1) two or more adsorbent columns, each column including a feed end, a product end, and adsorbent material for
The invention claimed is: 1. A portable medical oxygen concentrator comprising (a) an air separation system adapted to recover oxygen from air, wherein the air separation system comprises (1) two or more adsorbent columns, each column including a feed end, a product end, and adsorbent material for effecting gas separation by selective adsorption; (2) a pump assembly comprising a feed pump having a compressed air outlet and a vacuum pump having a gas inlet; (3) an oxygen product outlet; (4) a rotary valve having a first plurality of ports adapted to place the compressed air outlet of the feed pump in flow communication sequentially with the feed end of each adsorbent column and to place the gas inlet of the vacuum pump in flow communication sequentially with the feed end of each adsorbent column and having a second plurality of ports adapted to place the oxygen product outlet in flow communication sequentially with the product end of each adsorbent column and to place the product end of each adsorbent column in flow communication sequentially with the product end of another adsorbent column; and (5) a base assembly adapted to support the two or more adsorbent columns and the rotary valve; (b) a bottom platform and a shell having an outer wall, wherein the shell is detachably connected to the bottom platform, wherein the base assembly is attached to the bottom platform, wherein the shell and bottom platform define an enclosed volume when the shell is connected to the bottom platform, and wherein the air separation system is disposed in the enclosed volume; and (c) one or more rechargeable batteries detachably connected to the outer wall of the shell and adapted to provide power to drive the air separation system. 2. The portable medical oxygen concentrator of claim 1 wherein the feed pump and the vacuum pump are scroll-type compressors, each being driven by a common drive motor, and wherein the drive motor is disposed coaxially between the feed pump and the vacuum pump. 3. The portable medical oxygen concentrator of claim 1 wherein the shell has a bottom end adjacent the bottom platform and an upper end opposite the bottom end, wherein the enclosed volume includes a dividing wall disposed between the base assembly and the pump assembly, and wherein the dividing wall extends upward from the bottom platform to a point intermediate the bottom platform and the upper end of the shell. 4. A portable medical oxygen concentrator comprising (a) an air separation system adapted to recover oxygen from air that includes (1) two or more adsorbent columns, each column including a feed end, a product end, and adsorbent material for effecting gas separation by selective adsorption; (2) a pump assembly comprising a feed pump having a compressed air outlet and a vacuum pump having a gas inlet; (3) an oxygen product outlet; (4) a rotary valve having a first plurality of ports adapted to place the compressed air outlet of the feed pump in flow communication sequentially with the feed end of each adsorbent column and to place the gas inlet of the vacuum pump in flow communication sequentially with the feed end of each adsorbent column and having a second plurality of ports adapted to place the oxygen product outlet in flow communication sequentially with the product end of each adsorbent column and to place the product end of each adsorbent column in flow communication sequentially with the product end of another adsorbent column; and (5) a base assembly adapted to support the two or more adsorbent columns and the rotary valve; and (b) a bottom platform and a shell having an outer wall, wherein the base assembly and the pump assembly are mounted on the bottom platform, wherein the shell is detachably connected to the bottom platform, and wherein the air separation system is disposed in an enclosed volume formed by the shell and bottom platform when the shell is connected to the bottom platform. 5. The portable medical oxygen concentrator of claim 4 comprising one or more rechargeable batteries detachably connected to the outer wall of the shell and adapted to provide power to drive the feed pump and the vacuum pump. 6. The portable medical oxygen concentrator of claim 5 comprising a control system and a conserver, wherein the rechargeable batteries are adapted to provide power to the control system and conserver. 7. The portable medical oxygen concentrator of claim 5 wherein the bottom platform defines a planar surface and wherein the concentrator is adapted to operate when the planar surface is oriented horizontally or at any angle from a horizontal plane. 8. The portable medical oxygen concentrator of claim 5 wherein the shell has an inlet grille, an outlet grille, and a fan disposed in the enclosed volume and adapted to draw ambient air into the enclosed volume and discharge heated air from the enclosed volume. 9. The portable medical oxygen concentrator of claim 8 comprising a cooling coil attached to the compressed air outlet of the feed pump and adapted to cool hot compressed air from the feed pump, wherein the fan is adapted to pass ambient air over the cooling coil and the feed pump. 10. The portable medical oxygen concentrator of claim 9 wherein the shell has a bottom end adjacent the bottom platform and an upper end opposite the bottom end, wherein the enclosed volume includes a dividing wall disposed between the base assembly and the pump assembly, and wherein the dividing wall extends upward from the bottom platform to a point intermediate the bottom platform and the upper end of the shell. 11. An adsorptive gas separation system comprising (a) two or more cylindrical columns, wherein each column includes a feed end, a feed inlet at the feed end, a product end, and a product outlet at the product end, and wherein at least two of the cylindrical columns are adsorbent columns containing adsorbent material for effecting gas separation by selective adsorption; (b) a pump assembly comprising a feed pump having a compressed gas outlet and a vacuum pump having a gas inlet; (c) a product gas outlet; (d) a rotary valve having a first plurality of ports adapted to place the compressed gas outlet of the feed pump in flow communication sequentially with the feed end of each adsorbent column and to place the gas inlet of the vacuum pump in flow communication sequentially with the feed end of each adsorbent column and having a second plurality of ports adapted to place the product gas outlet in flow communication sequentially with the product end of each adsorbent column and to place the product end of each adsorbent column in flow communication sequentially with the product end of another adsorbent column; (e) a base assembly upon which the adsorbent columns and the rotary valve are mounted; and (f) a support platform upon which the base assembly and the pump assembly are mounted. 12. The adsorptive gas separation system of claim 11 comprising a product gas storage tank in flow communication with the product gas outlet and in sequential flow communication with the product outlet at the product end of each adsorbent column. 13. The adsorptive gas separation system of claim 12 wherein the product gas storage tank is one of the two or more cylindrical columns, contains none of the adsorbent material, and is mounted on the base assembly. 14. The adsorptive gas separation system of claim 12 wherein the product gas storage tank contains a different adsorbent material than the adsorbent material in the adsorbent columns, wherein the different adsorbent material is adapted to increase the effective product tank storage capacity. 15. The adsorptive gas separation system of claim 11 wherein the base assembly comprises a molded platform comprising a bottom member having a first surface and a second surface generally parallel to the first surface, two or more cylindrical collars attached to the first surface of the bottom member and adapted to detachably receive and support the respective product ends of the two or more cylindrical adsorbent columns, and a ported stator plate attached to the first surface of the bottom member, and wherein the ported stator plate is part of the rotary valve and includes the second plurality of ports adapted to place the product gas outlet in flow communication sequentially with the product end of each adsorbent column and to place the product end of each adsorbent column in flow communication sequentially with the product end of another adsorbent column. 16. The adsorptive gas separation system of claim 15 wherein the ported stator plate has a central stator port and two or more peripheral stator ports adjacent the first surface of the bottom member; wherein a column product port is disposed in the bottom member of the molded platform within each of the two or more cylindrical collars, each column product port extending from the first surface of the bottom member to a point intermediate the first surface and the second surface of the bottom member; wherein each column product port and each cylindrical adsorbent column is adapted such that the product outlet of a cylindrical adsorbent column can be sealably and removably connected to a column product port; and wherein each peripheral stator port is connected to a respective column product port by a passage disposed in the bottom member of the base assembly. 17. The adsorptive gas separation system of claim 12 wherein the cylindrical adsorbent columns and/or the base assembly comprise plastic or polymeric material. 18. The adsorptive gas separation system of claim 15 wherein the bottom member and the two or more cylindrical collars are formed from a single piece of molded polymeric or plastic material. 19. The adsorptive gas separation system of claim 16 comprising a product gas storage tank in flow communication with the product gas outlet and in flow communication via the central stator port with the product outlet at the product end of each adsorbent column, wherein the product gas storage tank is one of the two or more cylindrical columns, contains none of the adsorbent material, and is detachably supported in one of the cylindrical collars on the base assembly; wherein the feed inlet of the product gas storage tank is adapted to be sealably and removably connected to a column product port disposed in the bottom member of the molded platform within the cylindrical collar; and wherein the column product port is connected to the central stator port by a passage disposed in the bottom member of the base assembly. 20. A base assembly for an adsorptive gas separation system comprising (a) a molded platform comprising a bottom member having a first surface and a second surface generally parallel to the first surface; (b) two or more cylindrical collars attached to the first surface of the bottom member and adapted to detachably receive and support respective ends of two or more cylindrical columns; and (c) a ported stator plate attached to the first surface of the bottom member, wherein the ported stator plate is part of a rotary valve adapted to direct gas flow in the operation of the adsorptive gas separation system, and wherein the ported stator plate has a central stator port and two or more peripheral stator ports adjacent the first surface of the bottom member; wherein a column product port is disposed in the bottom member of the molded platform within each of the two or more cylindrical collars, each column product port extending from the first surface of the bottom member to a point intermediate the first surface and the second surface of the bottom member, each column product port adapted to be sealably and removably connected to a cylindrical column, and wherein each peripheral stator port is connected to a respective column product port by a passage disposed in the bottom member of the base assembly. 21. The base assembly of claim 20 comprising two or more cylindrical columns, each column having an interior and a tube at one end in flow communication with the interior, wherein the tube has a compliant sealing element disposed around an outer circumference thereof, and wherein the tube with the compliant sealing element is adapted to be sealably and removably inserted into a column product port disposed in the bottom member of the molded platform. 22. The base assembly of claim 21 wherein the compliant sealing element is an O-ring disposed in a circumferential groove in an outer surface of the tube and wherein the O-ring is sized such that the tube and O-ring can be sealably and removably inserted into a column product port. 23. The base assembly of claim 22 wherein each column is adapted to be locked into a cylindrical collar while the tube and O-ring are sealably inserted into the column product port of the cylindrical collar and is adapted to be unlocked from the cylindrical collar while the tube and O-ring are removed from the column product port. 24. The base assembly of claim 21 wherein at least two of the two or more cylindrical columns are adsorbent columns containing adsorbent material for effecting gas separation by selective adsorption. 25. The base assembly of claim 21 wherein at least one of the two or more cylindrical columns is adapted to be used as a product gas storage tank. 26. The base assembly of claim 25 wherein the product gas storage tank contains an adsorbent material adapted to increase the effective product tank storage capacity. 27. The base assembly of claim 20 wherein the bottom member comprises (1) a first sub-member including the first surface, the two or more cylindrical collars attached to the first surface, a first intermediate surface generally parallel with the first surface, and open channels that form portions of the passages connecting each peripheral stator port to a respective column product port; and (2) a second sub-member including the second surface and a second intermediate surface generally parallel with the second surface; wherein the first and second intermediate surfaces are joined such that the first open channels in the first sub-member are covered by the second intermediate surface, thereby forming the passages disposed in the bottom member of the base assembly that connect each peripheral stator port to a respective column product port. 28. The base assembly of claim 20 wherein the bottom member comprises (1) a first sub-member including the first surface, the two or more cylindrical collars attached to the first surface, a first intermediate surface generally parallel with the first surface, and first open channels that form first portions of the passages connecting each peripheral stator port to a respective column product port; and (2) a second sub-member including the second surface, a second intermediate surface generally parallel with the second surface, and second open channels that form second portions of the passages connecting each peripheral stator port to a respective column product port; wherein the first and second intermediate surfaces are joined such that the first open channels in the first sub-member are congruent with the second open channels of the second sub-member, thereby forming the passages disposed in the bottom member of the base assembly that connect each peripheral stator port to a respective column product port. 29. The base assembly of claim 21 wherein any of the molded platform, the two or more cylindrical collars, and the two or more cylindrical adsorbent columns comprise plastic or polymeric material. 30. A portable medical oxygen concentrator comprising (a) an air separation system adapted to recover oxygen from air that includes (1) four or more cylindrical columns, wherein each column includes a feed end, a feed inlet at the feed end, a product end, and a product outlet at the product end, and wherein at least four of the cylindrical columns are adsorbent columns containing adsorbent material for effecting air separation by selective adsorption; (2) a pump assembly comprising a feed pump having a compressed air outlet and a vacuum pump having a gas inlet; (3) an oxygen product outlet; (4) a rotary valve having a first plurality of ports adapted to place the compressed air outlet of the feed pump in flow communication sequentially with the feed end of each adsorbent column and to place the gas inlet of the vacuum pump in flow communication sequentially with the feed end of each adsorbent column, a product gas outlet port, and a second plurality of ports adapted to place the product gas outlet port in flow communication sequentially with the product end of each adsorbent column and to place the product end of each adsorbent column in flow communication sequentially with the product end of another adsorbent column; and (5) a base assembly adapted to support the at least four adsorbent columns and the rotary valve; (b) a bottom platform and a shell having an outer wall, wherein the base assembly and the pump assembly are mounted on the bottom platform, wherein the shell is detachably connected to the bottom platform, and wherein the air separation system is enclosed by the shell and bottom platform when the shell is connected to the bottom platform; and (c) one or more rechargeable batteries detachably connected to the outer wall of the shell and adapted to provide power to drive the feed pump, the vacuum pump, and the rotary valve. 31. The portable medical oxygen concentrator of claim 30 comprising a product gas storage tank in continuous flow communication with the product gas outlet port and in sequential flow communication with the product outlet at the product end of each adsorbent column. 32. The portable medical oxygen concentrator of claim 31 comprising a check valve having an inlet and an outlet, piping connecting the product gas outlet port with the inlet of the check valve, and piping connecting the outlet of the check valve with the product gas storage tank. 33. The portable medical oxygen concentrator of claim 31 wherein the product gas storage tank is one of the cylindrical columns and is mounted on the base assembly. 34. The base assembly of claim 33 wherein the product gas storage tank contains a different adsorbent material than the adsorbent material in the adsorbent columns, wherein the different adsorbent material is adapted to increase the effective product tank storage capacity. 35. The portable medical oxygen concentrator of claim 33 comprising a conserver adapted to deliver oxygen product from the product gas storage tank to the oxygen product outlet, wherein the conserver is adapted to deliver the oxygen during a patient's inhalation period and to deliver no oxygen during the patient's exhalation period. 36. The portable medical oxygen concentrator of claim 33 comprising four adsorbent columns and the product gas storage tank, wherein the base assembly supports the four adsorbent columns, the gas storage tank, and the rotary valve. 37. The portable medical oxygen concentrator of claim 36 wherein the base assembly comprises (a) a molded platform comprising a bottom member having a first surface and a second surface generally parallel to the first surface; (b) five cylindrical collars attached to the first surface of the bottom member and adapted to detachably receive and support respective product ends of the four cylindrical adsorbent columns and the product gas storage tank; (c) a ported stator plate attached to the first surface of the bottom member and disposed adjacent at least two of the five cylindrical collars; wherein the ported stator plate is part of the rotary valve adapted to direct gas flow in the operation of the adsorptive gas separation system; and wherein the ported stator plate has a central stator port and four peripheral stator ports adjacent the first surface of the bottom member; wherein within each of the five cylindrical collars there is disposed a column product port in the bottom member of the molded platform, each column product port extending from the first surface of the bottom member to a point intermediate the first surface and the second surface of the bottom member, each column product port adapted to be sealably and removably connected to a product outlet of a cylindrical column; wherein each peripheral stator port is connected to a column product port associated with a respective adsorbent column by a passage disposed in the bottom member of the base assembly; and wherein the central stator port is connected to the column product port associated with the product gas storage tank by a passage disposed in the bottom member of the base assembly. 38. The portable medical oxygen concentrator of claim 37 wherein the bottom member comprises (1) a first sub-member including the first surface, the five cylindrical collars attached to the first surface, a first intermediate surface generally parallel with the first surface, and first open channels that form first portions of the passages connecting each peripheral stator port to a respective column product port and the passage connecting central stator port to the column product port associated with the product gas storage tank; and (2) a second sub-member including the second surface and a second intermediate surface generally parallel with the second surface; wherein the first and second intermediate surfaces are joined such that the first open channels in the first sub-member are covered by the second intermediate surface, thereby forming the passages disposed in the bottom member of the base assembly that connect each peripheral stator port to a respective column product port and the passage that connects the central stator port to the column product port associated with the product gas storage tank. 39. The portable medical oxygen concentrator of claim 37 wherein the five cylindrical collars are arranged such that a first collar, a second collar, and a third collar are placed at equidistant locations along a first axis and a fourth collar and a fifth collar are placed on a second axis generally parallel to the first axis, wherein the fourth collar is adjacent the first collar, the fifth collar is adjacent the third collar, the ported stator plate is adjacent the second collar and is on the second axis between the fourth collar and the fifth collar. 40. The portable medical oxygen concentrator of claim 39 wherein the cylindrical column that serves as the product gas storage tank is mounted in the second collar and the cylindrical columns that contain the adsorbent material are mounted in the first, third, fourth and fifth collars. 41. The portable medical oxygen concentrator of claim 30 wherein the bottom platform comprises a generally flat bottom portion having a periphery, an upper surface, and a lower surface, a continuous vertical wall segment having an upper end and a lower end, wherein the lower end is attached to the periphery of the flat bottom portion and the upper end has a horizontal lip attached thereto, wherein the base assembly and the pump assembly are mounted on the upper surface, and wherein the lower surface is adapted to rest on a floor or other external surface.
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