An infant incubator is disclosed having a hood that encloses the infant compartment. In the base of the incubator is the heating air and ducting means and which provides heated through an ever open outlet in the base and which heated air passes from the base through a flow path formed by the hood that circulates around the infant and re-enters the base through an inlet. That heated air is thus introduced into or along the access door in the front of the hood from the outlet and travels through or along the access door and through or along the hood around the infant and is returned to the base for recirculation. The hood itself is pivotally attached to the base at the rear of the incubator so that it can be opened from the front for complete access to the infant. The access door in the front of the hood is pivotally attached to the incubator base and can also be opened for access to the infant. When the access door is in its closed position, it forms part of the air path for the heated air. The heated air from the access door continues to pass along the flow path formed by the hood. When the access door is opened, it pivots out of the way of the air flow from the ever open outlet in the base and the flow of heated air continues over the area normally occupied by the access door when in its closed position forming an air curtain to protect the environment of the infant compartment. The flow of air thereafter enters the flow path formed by the hood in the same manner as the path of the air flow when the access door is closed and eventually re-enters the base through the inlet.
A method is provided for affixing a wristlet to the side of an incubator. The side is a double walled side having an inner wall and an outer wall with a space between those walls. Both the outer and inner walls have handhole openings that are in alignment when the inner and outer walls are affixed together to allow a person to insert an arm through the openings. A flexible handhole is affixed within the opening in the outer wall and extending inwardly toward the incubator interior through the inner wall. That handhole has an annular flange that extends outwardly and a wristlet having an outer peripheral portion having an elastic member is affixed to the handhole by encircling the annular flange. The inner wall is removably affixed with respect to the outer wall and when affixed to the outer wall, the inner wall sandwiches the outer periphery of the wristlet between that inner wall and the annular flange. The wristlet therefore is maintained firmly affixed to the side with out needing a very tight outer elastic member.
Controlled environment chamber apparatus for maintaining biological material under controlled conditions of temperature and/or humidity comprises a cabinet defining a chamber, a door for controlling access to the chamber, and a clean air source for providing a flow of clean air past the chamber opening.
Since a rest table for a baby's body can be moved between the inside and outside of a hood through the opening portion of the hood, a treatment for the baby's body can be performed after the rest table is pulled out midway to the outside of the hood. Since an air stream flowing downward along the opening portion from its upper portion can be injected, even while the rest table is pulled out midway to the outside of the hood, formation of an air curtain is not interfered with, and the air stream is supplied to the baby's body on the rest table as well. In spite that the treatment for the baby's body can be performed easily, changes in an atmosphere in the hood and in an atmosphere for the baby's body under treatment are small to decrease an adverse influence on the baby's body.
A heated humidifier for an infant incubator wherein the flow of air through the humidifier that picks up water vapor from the surface of the water is controlled in response to the temperature of the heater used to heat the water. In the preferred embodiment, the heater is an active heater located above the surface of the water and includes an extruded heat exchanger that depends downwardly from the heater to below the level of the water. A thermal actuator is located in good heat transfer association with the extruded heat exchanger at a point above the surface of the water and that thermal actuator controls the position of a valve in the outlet of the humidifier.
The invention directed to an incubator for infants and includes an air guidance system which extends about the support surface 7 and effects a uniform temperature distribution. This uniform temperature distribution is achieved in that the heated air is moved via a fan 8 so that it rises between the incubator hood 2 and the inner wall 4 and thereafter descends between the inner wall 4 and the support surface 7.
