Respirator facepiece

Abstract

The invention relates to personal respiratory protective equipment. A respirator comprises an insulating facepiece comprising a face seal with openings for the passage of inhaled and exhaled air, said openings having check valves mounted therein. Mounted inside the facepiece is an insert which excludes part of the space inside the mask from the breathing circuit. This prevents an excess of exhaled air from accumulating in the space inside the respirator mask, while at the same time providing sufficient sealing to prevent contaminated air from entering the space inside the mask by any route other than via the openings specifically intended for that purpose.

Description

FACE PART OF THE RESPIRATOR

[0001] The invention relates to personal protective equipment for human respiratory organs, namely to respirators with an insulating face piece having openings for the passage of inhaled and exhaled air with check valves installed in them.

[0002] Respirators provide protection for the respiratory system from airborne pollutants (dust, aerosols, gases) by filtering the inhaled air.

[0003] Respirators are classified by mask design type:

[0004] A) A full face mask covers the entire face and provides maximum protection, protecting not only the respiratory system but also the user’s eyes;

[0005] B) A half mask covers half the user's face from the nose to the chin. Compared to full-face masks, half masks are more convenient to use, but they only provide respiratory protection;

[0006] B) A quarter mask covers only the wearer's nose and mouth, leaving the chin exposed. Compared to half masks, quarter masks are more comfortable to use and provide reliable respiratory protection, but a less secure fit on the face than half masks.

[0007] Any respirator includes a means of fastening the mask to the user's head (headband) and a face piece, which serves to ensure a tight fit of the respirator to the user's face and can be made entirely of an elastic material (for example, silicone, thermoplastic elastomer, rubber, etc.), or can also consist of several parts made of different materials, while the face piece, as a rule, contains openings for the passage of inhaled and exhaled air with check valves installed in them (umbrella, mushroom, flap, etc.), which serve to ensure the movement of air in a given direction, respectively, during inhalation and exhalation, and can also include one or more filters designed to clean the air inhaled by the user from the contaminants present in it.

[0008] When inhaling, air enters the sub-mask space through the inhalation opening due to the fact that, due to the creation of a vacuum in the sub-mask space, the inhalation check valve opens, while the exhalation check valve is at the same time closed and prevents air from entering the sub-mask space through the exhalation opening.

[0009] When exhaling, on the contrary, air from the user's lungs first enters the sub-mask space, creating excess air pressure, due to which the exhalation check valve opens and air exits through the exhalation hole, while at the same time the inhalation check valve is closed and prevents air from exiting through the inhalation hole.

[0010] In addition, a filter cartridge can be installed directly into the inhalation opening or immediately in front of it, which serves to clean the air inhaled by the user from contaminants contained in the environment.

[0011] The prior art contains various designs of respirators equipped with an insulating face piece.

[0012] In particular, the respirator design disclosed in the publication of patent for invention RU2437693C2, published on 27.12.2011, is known and was chosen as a prototype.

[0013] A known design of a respirator comprises a rigid polymer body of a face mask having a first surface and a second surface; a silicone element of a face seal chemically bonded to at least one of the surfaces: the first surface or the second surface; and a second silicone element chemically bonded to at least one of the surfaces: the first surface or the second surface; wherein the rigid polymer body of the face mask comprises an inhalation valve, an exhalation valve or a speech opening, and the second silicone element forms a diaphragm for the inhalation valve, a diaphragm for the exhalation valve or a diaphragm for the speech opening.

[0014] In the prototype, the silicone face seal element functions as a seal, as it has an inward-facing cuff that seals tightly against the user's face around the user's respiratory organs—the nose and mouth. A sub-mask space of a certain volume is formed between the rigid polymer body containing the silicone face seal element of the respirator and the user's face.

[0015] The prototype has a number of disadvantages, in particular:

[0016] 1. Because the face seal must ensure a tight fit to the user's face, the seal contour is located at a significant distance from the respiratory system, along the relatively flat contour of the face. This creates a large sub-mask space. During exhalation, the sub-mask space fills with the user's exhaled air, which has a high carbon dioxide (CO2) content, high relative humidity (up to 100%), and elevated temperature (up to 36°C). Therefore, when inhaling, the user partially inhales the exhaled air, causing discomfort. The user's respiratory rate and heart rate increase, which places additional strain on the heart. Cardiovascular disease is known to be an occupational risk factor for people who wear a respirator for extended periods.

[0017] It is known that when breathing, the carbon dioxide content in a respirator can reach 1%, which is 25 times higher than the content in clean air (0.04%). Moreover, even with CO2 concentrations in the respirator above 0.1%, the user experiences increased fatigue, headaches, loss of concentration, increased sweating, and other reactions.

[0018] Due to the constant presence of warm and humid air in the under-mask space, condensation forms inside the respirator during breathing, accumulating at the bottom of the face seal. During prolonged use, especially at elevated temperatures, droplets of condensation can fall on the skin of the face and into the respiratory tract. This also causes discomfort to the user.

[0019] Since the skirt (face seal) must be elastic enough to maintain its volumetric shape, but it must also be pressed as tightly as possible against the face to ensure a tight seal. The constant pressure causes facial skin to deform in the area of ​​contact with the skirt. This leads to damage to the skin, such as dents and redness, and also causes mechanical irritation and increased sweating in the areas where the skin contacts the skirt. This problem is partially addressed by increasing the contact area of ​​the respirator with the face, especially in half masks that cover the user's chin, which inevitably increases the volume of the under-mask space.

[0020] Thus, a technical contradiction arises: to maintain a high level of tightness, the sealing contour must be located as far as possible from the user's respiratory organs, and to reduce the volume of the sub-mask space, the sealing contour must be located as close to the respiratory organs as possible.

[0021] It is obvious that in a quarter mask the volume of the under-mask space will be smaller than in a half mask and, even more so, than in a full-face mask. However, if the sealing contour is made even smaller than in a quarter mask, it will pass too close to the user's mouth and nose, creating a risk of leakage during facial muscle movements, especially during movements of the lower jaw.

[0022] The volume of the sub-mask space for exhaled air can also be reduced by using two different-sized seals in a single mask: a larger seal to ensure a tight seal, and a smaller seal to reduce the volume of the sub-mask space for exhaled air. However, this design is only feasible for full-face masks, in which the outer seal is provided by a full-face section covering the user's entire face. Inside this section is another seal, designed as a half mask, effectively reducing the volume of the sub-mask space filled with exhaled air. However, the volume of the sub-mask space for inhaled air remains unchanged.

[0023] However, using this approach with respect to a half mask, in which a quarter mask could be used as a smaller obturator, is not advisable, since, firstly, the difference in the volumes of the sub-mask space is not that significant, and secondly, their obturation contours intersect in the area of ​​the nose and, partially, the cheeks of the user, in which case problems with tightness will inevitably arise.

[0024] The claimed invention solves the technical problem of creating a respirator facepiece with a minimum volume of sub-mask space, preventing the accumulation of large volumes of exhaled air, but at the same time providing sufficient sealing to prevent inhaled air from entering through gaps formed between the seal and the user's face.

[0025] The technical result achieved with the aid of the claimed invention is the elimination of the accumulation of large volumes of air exhaled by the user in the sub-mask space of the respirator while simultaneously ensuring sufficient sealing to prevent contaminated air from entering the sub-mask space by any other means than through openings specially designed for this purpose.

[0026] The specified technical result is achieved by the design of the facepiece of the respirator, which includes a face seal (obturator), in which there are openings for the passage of inhaled and exhaled air with check valves installed in them, while an internal insert is installed inside the face seal, excluding part of the volume of the sub-mask space from the breathing circuit, in which the air exhaled by the user can accumulate.

[0027] The inner insert seals tightly against the inner surface of the face seal, without requiring a tight seal against the user's face. This allows the insert to be shaped to any shape, eliminating the portion of the sub-mask space not involved in breathing and placing it as close as possible to the respiratory system.

[0028] In addition, the inner insert, like the face seal, is provided with openings designed for the passage of inhaled and exhaled air and connected to the corresponding openings made in the face seal.

[0029] Furthermore, the air pocket created between the face seal and the inner liner provides additional thermal insulation between the inner and outer spaces of the facepiece (like a thermos). This means the respirator's inner walls, exposed to warm and moist exhaled air, are less likely to reach the dew point, significantly reducing or eliminating condensation. This thermal insulation also makes the respirator suitable for use in environments with elevated ambient temperatures, such as in the metallurgical industry.

[0030] The inner insert should preferably be made of an elastic material that allows it to maintain its shape, and the face seal should be made of a soft and elastic material that allows it to fit as tightly as possible to the user's face.

[0031] Furthermore, this solution allows the lowest point of condensation accumulation to be moved significantly higher, toward the exhalation valve. This allows condensation to be more effectively removed from the under-mask space, preventing it from accumulating inside the respirator.

[0032] The claimed design of the face part of the respirator can be effectively used in masks of all types: in quarter masks, in half masks, in full-face masks (in the inner obturator of a full-face mask).

[0033] Thus, the claimed design significantly reduces the volume of the sub-mask space. However, since the minimum volume is limited to the area around the user's mouth and nose, to further reduce the volume of the sub-mask space, an additional partition with a check valve is installed between the nose and mouth. This valve opens when exhaling through the nose or inhaling through the mouth. This minimizes the volume of the sub-mask space unused during breathing.

[0034] Furthermore, when the face seal is made of, for example, soft silicone, and the inner insert with a partition is made of, for example, hard silicone, improved sealing and comfort for the user are achieved, since the relatively soft face seal better adapts to the contours of the user's face, and the more rigid inner insert allows for the effective separation of the internal space of the face part of the respirator into the mouth and nose zones.

[0035] A special case of respirator facepiece design is the elimination of part of the sub-mask volume by using a smaller inner insert—either for the nose area or the mouth area. This significantly increases the volume of the second respiratory organ, which is not served by the inner insert. This makes sense under certain respirator operating conditions: a design using an inner insert for the nose area is appropriate for those breathing primarily through the nose, preventing condensation, while a design using an inner insert for the mouth area is appropriate for those breathing primarily through the mouth, which results in increased condensation.

[0036] The claimed design is explained with the help of images.

[0037] Fig. 1 shows an example of the implementation of the face part of the respirator.

[0038] In Fig. 2, the volume excluded from the sub-mask space is indicated by shading.

[0039] Fig. 3 shows the face part of the respirator with an internal insert.

[0040] Fig. 4 and 5 show options for dividing the sub-mask space using an internal insert.

[0041] Fig. 1 shows an example of the implementation of the face part of a respirator equipped with a filter, containing a face seal (1), in which there are openings for inhalation and exhalation, equipped with check valves (2) and (3), while inside the face seal (1) an internal insert (4) is installed, hermetically adjacent to the inner surface of the face seal (1), in Fig. 1 the area of ​​contact of the internal insert (4) with the inner surface of the face seal (1) is designated by position (5).

[0042] In this design, the volume of the sub-mask space is reduced by using an internal insert (4). In Fig. 2, the volume excluded from the sub-mask space (6) is indicated by hatching.

[0043] Fig. 3 shows the face part of the respirator with an internal insert (4) in which a partition (7) is installed, equipped with a check valve (8), dividing the sub-mask space into two parts: for the nose and for the mouth.

[0044] Fig. 4 and 5 show variants of dividing the sub-mask space using an internal insert installed in the nose area (9) (Fig. 4) or in the mouth area (10) (Fig. 5).

[0045] Thus, due to the use of an internal insert, the volume of air exhaled by the user contained in the sub-mask space is significantly reduced, while at the same time, due to the use of a soft face seal, sufficient sealing is ensured, preventing contaminated air from entering the sub-mask space in any way other than through specially designed openings.

Claims

The facepiece of a respirator, including a face seal, in which there are openings for the passage of inhaled and exhaled air, characterized in that an insert is installed inside the facepiece that excludes part of the volume of the sub-mask space from the breathing circuit. The face part of the respirator according to paragraph 1, characterized in that check valves are installed in the openings for the passage of inhaled and exhaled air. The facepiece of the respirator according to paragraph 1, characterized in that the inner insert is made of an elastic material, and the facepiece seal is made of a soft and elastic material. The facepiece of the respirator according to paragraph 1, characterized in that a partition is installed in the inner insert between the nose and mouth of the user. The facepiece of the respirator according to paragraph 4, characterized in that a check valve is installed in the partition located between the nose and mouth of the user. The face part of the respirator according to paragraph 1, characterized in that the inner insert covers only the nose area. The face part of the respirator according to paragraph 1, characterized in that the inner insert covers only the mouth area.

Images