Patent ID: 11911568
Assignee: RESMED PTY LTD
Field: Chemical engineering (Chemistry)
Classification: CPC A  B  C  G | IPC A

Claim 0:
1. An oxygen concentrator apparatus comprising:
an outlet, the outlet suitable for pneumatic coupling with a delivery device, the delivery device for delivering, in use, oxygen enriched gas to a user;
at least two canisters including gas separation adsorbent, the gas separation adsorbent configured for gas separation of at least some nitrogen from air in the at least two canisters to produce the oxygen enriched gas;
a compression system comprising a compressor coupled to at least one of the canisters to compress air during operation to promote the gas separation;
an accumulator coupled to one or more of the canisters, to accumulate the oxygen enriched gas produced in one or more of the canisters during use, the accumulator pneumatically coupled to the outlet;
a tap to atmosphere in a pneumatic path between the outlet and the accumulator,
a flow rate sensor pneumatically coupled to the accumulator and the outlet, the flow rate sensor configured to generate at least a flow rate signal; and
a controller, including one or more processors, and a set of valves coupled to the controller, the controller configured to control operation of the set of valves to (a) produce the oxygen enriched gas into the accumulator and (b) release the produced oxygen enriched gas from the accumulator in at least one bolus, the controller further configured to:
receive the flow rate signal from the flow rate sensor;
evaluate the flow rate signal to detect an onset of inhalation by the user when in use;
control a delivery valve of the set of valves to release, to the outlet, the at least one bolus based on the detected onset from the evaluation of the flow rate signal from the flow rate sensor; and
monitor the flow rate signal during release of the at least one bolus.