A passive valve for use as a fixed leak valve. The valve includes a body having an internal chamber, first and second body ports in fluid communication with the chamber with the first port configured for fluid communication with a patient connection and the second body port configured for fluid communication with a ventilator, a body passageway in fluid communication with the chamber and with ambient air exterior of the body, and a check valve seal positioned to seal the body passageway to permit the flow of gas within the chamber through the body passageway to the exterior of the body and to prevent the flow of ambient air exterior of the body through the body passageway into the chamber. In alternative embodiments, the valve is incorporated into the patient connection or constructed as a separate part connectable to the patient connection.

The present invention relates to systems and methods for controlling the atmosphere in the cabin (1) of a vehicle. The system comprises a carbon dioxide removal conduit (2) comprising a regenerable carbon dioxide removal chamber (5,6) containing a carbon dioxide sorbent material and a regeneration circuit (7) arranged to expel the desorbed carbon dioxide at a location exterior (8) of the cabin (1) The system is operable to maintain a carbon dioxide level below 1000 ppm in the passenger cabin for a period of at least 5 minutes while restricting the flow of air from outside the vehicle into the passenger cabin to 10 L/s or less.

The present invention relates to a gas-filtering system (1000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000) comprising: an input (1100) for the gas, a reactor (1301, 1302, 1303) for filtering the gas at the input (1100) and thus obtaining a filtered gas, an output (1200) for the filtered gas, a vacuum generator (1401, 1402) for generating a vacuum inside the reactor (1301, 1302, 1303), where the vacuum generator (1401, 1402) is configured so as to apply a first predetermined vacuum value (VI) in a first vacuum phase (T2) and so as to apply a second predetermined vacuum value (V2) in a second vacuum phase (T3); the filtering system (1000, 3000, 4000) further comprising a flow controller (1501, 1502, 1503) connected at the output to the reactor (1301, 1302, 1303), where the flow controller (1501, 1502, 1503) is configured so as to block the introduction of the filtered gas into the reactor (1301, 1302, 1303) during the first vacuum phase (T2), and where the flow controller (1501, 1502, 1503) is configured so as to allow the introduction of the filtered gas and/or a second gas into the reactor (1301, 1302, 1303), starting from the output (1200) during the second vacuum phase (T3).

A driving system for a reversing blower adsorption based air separation unit is configured to not only drive the reversing blower cyclically in a forward and in a reverse direction, but also to allow the reversing blower to coast during a portion of its operating cycle. While coasting, a pressure differential across the blower acts alone to switch the reversing blower between a forward and a reverse direction of operation. Less power is thus required. When coasting, the blower can also be configured to output power such as the drive motor functioning as an electric generator or by having a mechanical power input be driven by the blower for power generation and/or energy storage. Such a system beneficially utilizes the energy associated with the pressure differential across the blower for energy harvesting and to further accelerate cycle times for the reversing blower adsorption based air separation unit.

An air separation unit includes an air inlet with a reversible blower downstream therefrom and an adsorption bed filled with adsorption media downstream of the reversible blower. The adsorption bed contains an adsorption media which preferentially adsorbs nitrogen over oxygen. An oxygen and argon output is located downstream of the absorption bed. At least a portion of the mixed gas of oxygen and argon is routed to a modular argon separator which separates out at least a portion of the argon to provide high purity oxygen to a high purity oxygen outlet. The argon separator can be configured as a molecular sieve filter to separate the argon from the oxygen or the argon separator can be in the form of a gas cooler and condenser which condenses liquid oxygen for storage and discharge as substantially pure oxygen.

The adsorption based air separation unit includes an adsorber vessel containing media which selectively adsorbs water vapor and nitrogen preferentially over oxygen. The vessel includes an air entry spaced from an oxygen discharge. At least one dry air tap from the adsorber vessel is located between the entry and the discharge. When the adsorption media is fresh, air entering the adsorber vessel passes through enough of the adsorber vessel to have much of its water vapor removed and only some of its nitrogen removed. The vessel can include multiple taps sequentially further from the entry which can be selectively opened as the adsorption media becomes saturated with water vapor and nitrogen, so that dry air with much of its nitrogen still present can be further tapped from the adsorber vessel. The adsorber vessel thus facilitates production of both oxygen and dry air, such as for use as medical grade air.

An active exhalation valve for use with a ventilator to control flow of patient exhaled gases. The valve includes a patient circuit connection port, a patient connection port, an exhaled gas port, a pilot pressure port, and a valve seat. The valve further has a movable poppet with inner and outer bellows members and a bellows poppet face. An activation pressure applied to the pilot pressure port extends the bellows members to move the poppet face into engagement with the valve seat and restrict flow of patient exhaled gases to the exhaled gas port, and the reduction of the activation pressure allows the bellows members to move the poppet face away from the valve seat and out of engagement with the valve seat to permit flow of patient exhaled gases to the exhaled gas port, thereby controlling the flow of patient exhaled gases from the valve.

A device for cleaning air laden with CO2 present in an enclosed space, including at least one adsorption device for adsorbing CO2 from the air supplied to the adsorption device, a desorption device associated with the adsorption device for desorbing adsorbed CO2, and a removal device for removing the desorbed CO2.

A passive valve for use as a fixed leak valve. The valve includes a body having an internal chamber, first and second body ports in fluid communication with the chamber with the first port configured for fluid communication with a patient connection and the second body port configured for fluid communication with a ventilator, a body passageway in fluid communication with the chamber and with ambient air exterior of the body, and a check valve seal positioned to seal the body passageway to permit the flow of gas within the chamber through the body passageway to the exterior of the body and to prevent the flow of ambient air exterior of the body through the body passageway into the chamber. In alternative embodiments, the valve is incorporated into the patient connection or constructed as a separate part connectable to the patient connection.

An evaporative emission control canister system comprises an initial adsorbent volume having an effective incremental adsorption capacity at 25 C. of greater than 35 grams n-butane/L between vapor concentration of 5 vol % and 50 vol % n-butane, and at least one subsequent adsorbent volume having an effective incremental adsorption capacity at 25 C. of less than 35 grams n-butane/L between vapor concentration of 5 vol % and 50 vol % n-butane, an effective butane working capacity (BWC) of less than 3 g/dL, and a g-total BWC of between 2 grams and 6 grams. The evaporative emission control canister system has a two-day diurnal breathing loss (DBL) emissions of no more than 20 mg at no more than 210 liters of purge applied after the 40 g/hr butane loading step.