Wilkerson Corporation

Life Products, Inc.

G Kenneth Russell

Wayne R Apple

Franklin Ribble

James A Hoerlein

A lung ventilator is provided that reduces the number of mechanical components and is able to rapidly adjust to provide a selected volume of air or other gas for delivery to a patient's lungs. The ventilator includes a brushless-type DC electric motor having a number of coils that are energized in a predetermined manner to cause reciprocating movement of a piston within a cylinder. The retracted end position of the piston in a cylinder is used to define the volume of air that is to be received by the patient. Three Hall sensors are connected to the motor at predetermined locations and sense the position of the rotor as it rotates due to the energization of the coils. Each of the pulsed outputs from the Hall sensors is out-of-phase relative to the other Hall sensor outputs. The six different binary outputs of the Hall sensors are identified so that a ROM is able to provide a predetermined output for each of the identified Hall sensor combinations inputted to the ROM. The outputs from the ROM are applied to driving transistors, the outputs of which are applied to the motor coils to cause desired rotational movements of the motor rotor. The position of the piston is monitored also using the Hall sensor outputs. The actual position of the piston is found and compared with the desired or selected position of the piston, which is based on a selected volume of gas to be sent to the patient. When the actual position of the piston corresponds to the selected position, piston movement is stopped. A reference sensor is used in determining a reference piston position from which the actual piston position can be found at any instance in time. The present invention also includes a one-piece manifold to which the cylinder is mounted. The manifold includes a number of passageways along which air is carried to the patient.

Apparatus and method for controlling lung ventilation

A bowl guard for mounting, containing and protecting a plastic or glass bowl of a compressed air system device. The bowl guard holds, protects and retains an opaque, transparent or translucent bowl such as a bowl which encloses a filter or lubricator device. The bowl guard is secured to a header of the device and locks the bowl in a sealed relationship with the header. The guard may have apertures so that the contents of the bowl may be observed. A drain through the bowl and guard can be provided when appropriate. A locking pin on the bowl guard insures that the entire assembly is held in alignment. When the bowl guard is latched into place and the system is under pressure the guard may not easily be withdrawn.

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Castle Rock, CO, United States of America

G Kenneth Russell