Granted Patent B2

US 12,350,436 · App. 17/195,345 · Granted Jul 8, 2025

Inventors: Elmo Benson Stoks (Auckland, NZ); Charles Christopher North (Auckland, NZ); Hamish Adrian Osborne (Auckland, NZ); Abhishek Vadnerkar (Remuera, CA); James Owen Kehoe (Auckland, NZ); Po-Yen Liu (Auckland, NZ); John James Jackson (Auckland, NZ); Igor Yevgeniiovich Shvarchuck (Auckland, NZ); Mahran Maumoon Sujau (Auckland, NZ); Sanjay Parag Patel (Auckland, NZ); Man Kit Jacky Cheung (Auckland, NZ)

Assignee: Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Limited

A61M16/161A61M16/024A61M16/0816A61M16/0841A61M16/0875A61M16/109A61M16/1095A61M16/16G01F1/69G01F23/26A61M2016/0039A61M16/0066A61M2205/3368A61M2205/3379A61M2205/502

Abstract

Claims (36)

1. A cartridge for use with a humidification chamber, the cartridge comprising:

a chassis configured to be removably attached to the humidification chamber, the chassis comprising a central portion;

a first sensor supported by the chassis on a first side of the central portion and a second sensor supported by the chassis on a second side of the central portion; and

a corresponding biasing member for each of the first sensor and the second sensor, each biasing member being interposed between a corresponding sensor of the first sensor and the second sensor and the chassis and configured to, on insertion of the first sensor and the second sensor into apertures in one or more ports of the humidification chamber, provide a repeatable force between an end of each of the first sensor and the second sensor and one or more barriers located within the apertures.

2. The cartridge of claim 1 , wherein each biasing member compresses when an associated sensor is inserted into one of the one or more ports, to provide a repeatable force directed outwardly from the cartridge, to push the associated sensor outwardly with respect to the chassis.

3. The cartridge of claim 1 , wherein each biasing member includes a spring.

4. The cartridge of claim 1 , wherein the central portion is configured to engage the humidification chamber when the cartridge is attached to the humidification chamber.

5. A humidification unit comprising:

the humidification chamber, wherein the one or more ports comprise two ports, each port of the two ports having an aperture therein capable of receiving at least one of the first sensor and the second sensor; and

the cartridge according to claim 1 .

6. The humidification unit of claim 5 , wherein a first port of the two ports comprises a single first aperture configured to receive a single one of the first sensor and the second sensor, and a second port of the two ports comprises a second aperture configured to receive another of the first sensor and the second sensor.

7. The humidification unit of claim 5 , wherein the cartridge is configured to be releasably mounted on the humidification chamber.

8. The humidification unit of claim 5 , wherein the cartridge comprises a single one of the first sensor and the second sensor supported by the chassis at or proximate a first end of the cartridge, and another of the first sensor and the second sensor supported by the chassis at or proximate a second end of the cartridge.

9. The humidification unit of claim 5 , wherein each biasing member compresses when an associated sensor is inserted into one of the two ports, to provide a repeatable force directed outwardly from the cartridge, to push the associated sensor outwardly with respect to the cartridge.

10. The humidification unit of claim 5 , wherein each biasing member comprises a spring.

11. The humidification unit of claim 5 , further comprising a flexible membrane, the flexible membrane stretching with the insertion of one of the one first sensor or the second sensor.

12. The humidification unit of claim 11 , wherein the flexible membrane is mounted in at least one of the aperture of the one or more ports to form the one or more barriers.

13. The humidification unit of claim 12 , wherein the cartridge supports the first sensor and the second sensor in a repeatable manner relative to at least one of the one or more ports such that a corresponding sensing portion for each of the first sensor and the second sensor is consistently positioned with repeated removal and replacement of the cartridge from the humidification chamber.

14. The cartridge of claim 1 , wherein the first sensor comprises a first sensing component and the second sensor comprises a second sensing component.

15. The cartridge of claim 14 , further comprising a third sensing component.

16. The cartridge of claim 15 , wherein one of the first sensor and the second sensor comprises the third sensing component.

17. The cartridge of claim 15 , wherein two of the first sensing component, the second sensing component, and the third sensing component are mounted on a single body.

18. The cartridge of claim 15 , wherein the third sensing component is supported by the chassis on the first side or the second side of the central portion.

19. The cartridge of claim 18 , wherein the central portion comprises a central connector portion of the chassis, and the chassis further comprises a pair of wings that extend outwardly from the central connector portion, the pair of wings being perpendicular to the central connector portion.

20. The cartridge of claim 19 , wherein a first wing of the pair of wings comprises the first side and a second wing of the pair of wings comprises the second side, the pair of wings defining sockets for receiving the first sensor and the second sensor and/or the corresponding biasing member.

21. A humidification unit comprising:

a humidification chamber comprising:

a first port comprising a first aperture configured to receive one sensor;

a second port comprising a second aperture configured to receive two sensors; and

at least one flexible membrane mounted in at least one of the first aperture and the second aperture;

a cartridge comprising:

a chassis;

one or more sensors; and

the one or more sensors being biased away from the chassis such that, on insertion of the one or more sensors into the first aperture or the second aperture, a repeatable force is provided between an end of each of the one or more sensors and the at least one flexible membrane, and

wherein the at least one flexible membrane stretches with the insertion of one of the one or more sensors to a repeatable force directed outwardly from the cartridge,

wherein the cartridge supports the one or more sensors in a repeatable manner relative to at least one of the first aperture and the second aperture such that a corresponding sensing portion for each of the one or more sensors is consistently positioned with repeated removal and replacement of the cartridge from the humidification chamber.

Continuity (8)

References Cited (400)