GB2192707A

GB2192707A - Apparatus for humidifying the interiors of incubators

Info

Publication number: GB2192707A
Application number: GB08617183A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Jozsef Homokay; Tibor Kapronczay; Csaba Nagy; Ferenc Nagy; Jozsef Nemeth; Miklos Szolcsanszky; Ferenc Toth; Ivan Urban
Original assignee: Medicor Muvek; Medicor Corp
Current assignee: Medicor Muvek; Medicor Corp
Priority date: 1985-05-24
Filing date: 1986-07-15
Publication date: 1988-01-20
Also published as: HU192716B; FR2602314A1; GB8617183D0; HUT40006A

Abstract

The apparatus for humidifying the enclosed interior of an infant's incubator includes an air heater (2) and a fan/blower (1). A pump (3) controlled by the output signal of a humidity sensor (4) feeds water sucked from a water tank (6) to the fan/blower (1) which atomizes the water, which is then in turn evaporated on the heater (2) or in the air stream heated by the heater (2). The water tank (6) may easily be removed for cleaning or for replacement; the water contained therein does not come into contact with the air, hence the water is not heated up and does not form source of infection in the apparatus. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Apparatus for humidifying the interiors of incubators The invention relates to- an apparatus for humidifying the interior of incubators, enabling the accurate control of the relative humidity of the interior space or 'bubble' by utilizing the already provided functional units, which apparatus may at the same time be easily cleaned and sterilized, and which may be produced economically.

It is a well-known fact that in the inner space of incubators for nursing prematurely born babies, sick newborn babies or infants, temperatures must be controlled within 27"C and 38 and the humidity must be kept between 40% and 100% for successful therapy.

For this purpose several known solutions exist. In the oldest and simplest solution, a suitable temperature distribution in the incubator is sought to be assured by forced circulation of a part or the whole of the air during which it is passed over water contained in a water tank. The relative humidity is adjusted by means of a suitable device, e.g. a slider, to vary the proportion of the air flowing over the water, and the value of the relative humidity is co-ordinated to the position of the slider. Such a solution is adopted e.g. in an intensive incubator marketed by the West Germany company Draegerwerke A.G., under type 7510.

In another apparatus known under the name Neocare Incubator by the British company Vickers Medical, the relative moisture content is adjusted by the number of the water tank.

When two water tanks are inserted, and filled with water, a relative moisture content of 70% can be obtained. Both solutions enable an adjustment of only limited accuracy, as the relative moisture thus obtained depends on several other factors, e.g. the temperature of the space, the environment and water; also, the maximum attainable relative moisture content does not exceed 70%. Lastly, in the water heated by the flowing warm air bacteria proliferate quickly, accordingly the water tank forms a source of infection within the system.

In other known solutions, the water in the tank is heated to achieve a more efficient moistening. In this way, a humidity of over 70% can be achieved; however, one has to reckon with further disadvantages: in the heated water bacteriaproliferate even faster; in addition, the output expended for heating constantly heats the air which is circulated in the interior of the incubator and accordingly, its temperature cannot be regulated in the vicinity of ambient temperature. This solution is applied in the apparatus made by the Italian company Internazionale Medico, marketed under the name Cristina 79RC, with which control operation occurs only when the temperature of the ambient space is lower by at least 60 than the temperature to be established in the inner space.

A usual method for producing a 100% relative moisture content consists in using a sepa rate compressed air or oxygen water actuated device to atomise water and pass it into the interior of the incubator, for example, the apparatus made by the company Draegerwerke A.G. and marketed under the name 'Wasser-Vernebler'.

An aim of the invention is to provide appa ratus for humidifying the interior of incubators, wherein water in a water tank does not contact the circulating heated air, control of the relative humidity within the desired range becomes possible without heating the water or using a separate apparatus, simultaneously certain disadvatageous features of known devices can be eliminated; and at the same time, by utilizing the functional parts provided in any case in incubators an economically realizable, easily cleanable and sterilizable technical solution can be obtained.

According to the invention, there is provided apparatus including a pump controlled by the signal of a moisture sensor arranged in the air flow path, which pump passes water to a fan circulating the air in the incubator from a water tank separated from the air- and in a quantity which complies with the preset value of the relative moisture content. The water atomized by the fan/blower evaporates on the heating body (bodies) that heat(s) the interior enclosed space of the incubator or in the air stream heated by said heating bodies.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the air duct has several heating bodies in it, disposed in any optional arrangement.

In a further preferred embodiment of the invention the pump is arranged partly or entirely outside the air duct.

In a further preferred embodiment according to the invention the suction pipe connecting the water tank and the pump is made of a flexible material.

The invention will be described by means of a preferred embodiment serving as example, with the aid of the enclosed single Figure, which is a sectional view of an incubator.

As may. be seen in the figure, a cradle or bed 11 is arranged in the upper part 10 of the incubator enclosure. The space 10and an air duct 8 are separated by a supporting ele ment 15 which carries the cradle 11; an inlet opening 9 and an outlet opening 12 are formed in said supporting element. In the middle of the supporting element 15, under the cradle 11 a recess 16 is provided for catching condensate.

The fan 1 is located in the air duct 8, upstream of a heating body 2. The fan 1 is connected to the discharge pipe of a pump 3 which has a flexible suction pipe 5 that extends through an opening in a partition wall 1 7 (which separates the air duct 8 from the lower space part- 14 of the incubator) into the water tank 6 arranged in the part 14. A humi dity sensor 4 is arranged in the air duct 8; its output controls the pump 3.

The figure does not show the basic signal generating and difference-forming units of a control circuit, the signal converter processing the signal of humidity sensor, the drive of the pump, since the concrete design of these un its does not form the object of our inventon; the interconnections, and the connection of the humidity sensor and the pump are well known from technical literature.

The apparatus according to the invention operates as follows: Circulation of the air is induced in the incu bator by the fan 1, and the heating- body 2 heats the air. The pump 3 sucks water from the water tank 6 through the suction pipe 5 in a quantity depending on the signal measured by the sensor 4 and passes the water to- the fan 1 through the delivery pipe 7 of the pump. The fan is effective to atomise the water which then evaporates on the surface of the heating body 2 and/or in the air stream heated by the heating body 2. The water tank may easily be removed for cleaning and sterili zation, as neither pulling out nor pushing in of the flexible suction pipe 5 is hindered.The water contained therein does not come into contact with the circulating warm air, accord ingly the water is not heated and cannot form a source of infedtion in the system. The air flowing in the air duct 8 incorporating- the fan 1, the heating body 2, and pump 3, the deliv ery pipe 7 and the sensor 4 arrives through the. inlet opening 9 above- the cradle 11 into the space 10 containing the baby, and arrives back into the- air duct8 through the outler opening 12; Figure 1 illustrates but one possible embodi ment of the invention. Many modifications are covered by the claimed scope of the invention, e.g. in which the pump 3 is arranged partly or entirely outside the air duct 8 or in which instead of one single heating body 2 several heating bodies are used, arranged as desired in relation to the- fan 1. It is also within the scope of the invention to arrange the sensor 4elsewhere, at any optional point 'in the space filled with the flowing air; further, so are solutions in which not one but several inlet openings 9 and outlet openings 12 are provided, the number and position depending on the actual configurations of the air duct 8 and the space 10.

Claims

1. Apparatus for humidifying the interior of incubators, comprising an air duct a water tank disposed externally of the air duct, a fan or blower, a water pump connected to the water tank via a suction pipe, said pump hav- ing a delivery duct arranged to pass water therefrom to the fan or blower to atomize the water, and an air heater disposed in the path of the air stream containing the atomized water, which path also contains a humidity sensor.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the air duct contains a plurality of said heaters which are positioned as desired.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the said pump is arranged partly or entirely outside the air duct.

4. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the said suction pipe is made of a resilient material.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, substantially as herein described with reference to and as shown in the accompanying drawing.

6. An incubator in claiming apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim.