Patent ID: 9186477
Filing Date: 2015-11-17
Classification: A61M,G01F,G05D

Abstract:
1. In a humidifier comprising a heater plate, a fan, and a conduit, a method of delivering humidified gases to a patient, the method comprising: supplying an initial level of power to the heater plate until heater plate temperature stabilizes or energizing the heater plate until the heater plate temperature reaches an initial temperature set-point; determining an amount of power drawn by the fan; determining, based on the amount of power drawn by the fan, a level of power to supply to the heater plate to change a temperature of the gases to achieve a desired level of humidity or determining, based on the amount of power drawn by the fan, a temperature set-point to change the temperature of the gases to achieve the desired level of humidity; supplying the level of power to the heater plate or energizing the heater plate to maintain the heater plate temperature at the temperature set-point; monitoring the amount of power drawn by the fan to determine a change in the amount of power drawn by the fan; comparing the change in the amount of power drawn by the fan to first and second thresholds; in response to determining that the change in the amount of power drawn by the fan meets the first threshold and does not meet the second threshold, determining an adjusted level of power and supplying the adjusted level of power to the heater plate or determining an adjusted temperature set-point and energizing the heater plate to maintain the adjusted temperature set-point; and in response to determining that the change in the amount of power drawn by the fan meets the second threshold, supplying the initial level of power to the heater plate until the heater plate temperature stabilizes or energizing the heater plate until the heater plate temperature reaches the initial temperature set-point.