Cranial shape correction helmet

Abstract

To provide a helmet provided with a function that can quickly release sweat in helmet treatment to solve the problem of an increased concern about skin environment because a sick child undergoing the helmet treatment wears a synthetic resin helmet for a long period of time, wherein in the helmet treatment, infants from about 3 months to less than 1 year of age, who are mainly affected, have a smaller cranial volume and more densely distributed sweat glands than adults.SOLUTION: In a helmet for cranial shape correction, a plurality of ventilation through-holes are formed in a hard outer shell formed so as to cover a cranium part. In the helmet for cranial shape correction, at least a portion of hole areas of the plurality of ventilation through-holes are different from its vertical central part toward a vertical direction in a state in which a user wears the hard outer shell.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cranial contouring helmet having a hard outer shell and a soft inner liner for use in correcting cranial deformities in infants. [Background technology]

[0002] Human infants, especially those over three months of age, can develop conditions such as plagiocephaly, dolichocephaly, or brachycephaly, which are conditions in which the skull is distorted. For example, in plagiocephaly, when viewed from above, the skull appears asymmetrical, tilted to one side. In dolichocephaly or brachycephaly, the skull is elongated or shortened in the anterior-posterior direction. If these conditions are left untreated and the distortion progresses, the position of the ears and the face become fixed in a deformed state.

[0003] For this reason, depending on the symptoms, a treatment method (hereinafter also referred to as "helmet treatment") is sometimes adopted in which a skull shape correction helmet is fitted to the infant's head and the infant lives their daily life in that state, as exemplified in Patent Documents 1 and 2. This treatment method makes it possible to gradually return the distorted skull shape to normal.

[0004] Cranial correction helmets are made to fit the skull of each infant receiving treatment, taking into account the current shape of the skull and the expected shape after correction. In other words, cranial correction helmets are made to order. Before being made, the skull of the infant receiving treatment is scanned using a well-known three-dimensional scanning method to obtain detailed data on its shape. Then, based on the obtained data, the cranial correction helmet can be made using a 3D printer. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6833240 [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 6333514 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Helmet therapy is sometimes performed with a cranial shape correction helmet fitted to the skull of the infant being treated for most of the day, including while sleeping (for example, 20 hours or more per day). Helmet therapy using the cranial shape correction helmets disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 has been shown to have a certain degree of therapeutic effect.

[0007] Infants and toddlers between the ages of approximately 3 months and under 1 year, who are the primary patients for helmet therapy, have a smaller skull volume and a denser distribution of sweat glands compared to adults. Furthermore, their thermoregulatory functions are less developed than adults, so there is a natural concern that the skin environment may deteriorate due to sweating. Naturally, children undergoing helmet therapy wear synthetic resin helmets for long periods of time, which raises concerns about the skin environment. In particular, helmets that allow for quick release of sweat are preferred for helmet therapy, but there are no helmets that specifically address this issue.

[0008] The present invention aims to provide a cranial orthodontic helmet that solves the above-mentioned problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The first aspect of the present invention, which is configured to solve the above-mentioned problems, is as follows: A skull shape correction helmet having a hard outer shell configured to cover the skull and having a plurality of ventilation through holes formed therein, When the hard outer shell is attached, the hole area of ​​at least some of the plurality of ventilation through holes varies from the vertical center to the top and bottom. It is a helmet for correcting cranial shape.

[0010] A second aspect of the present invention is the above-described cranial shape correcting helmet, wherein the hole area of ​​at least some of the plurality of ventilation through holes is largest at the vertical center and gradually decreases as the distance from the center increases.

[0011] A third aspect of the present invention is the above-described skull shape correcting helmet, wherein the hole areas of at least some of the plurality of ventilation through-holes are arranged symmetrically in the up-down direction from the vertical center.

[0012] A fourth aspect of the present invention is the above-described cranial shape correcting helmet, wherein the hole intervals of at least some of the plurality of ventilation through holes are arranged symmetrically in the up-down direction from the vertical center.

[0013] A fifth aspect of the present invention is the above-described cranial shape correcting helmet, in which the spacing between the ends of at least some of the plurality of ventilation through-holes is configured to gradually increase from the vertical center in the up-down direction and the through-holes are arranged symmetrically.

[0014] A sixth aspect of the present invention is the above-described cranial shape correction helmet, in which at least some of the plurality of ventilation through holes are arranged at equal intervals in an area corresponding to any one or a combination of the frontal bone, parietal bone, and occipital bone.

[0015] A seventh aspect of the present invention is the above-described cranial shape correction helmet, wherein at least some of the plurality of ventilation through-holes have a hole area sufficient for inserting a diagnostic tool.

[0016] An eighth aspect of the present invention is the above-described cranial shape correcting helmet, which includes an inner liner removably disposed on at least a portion of the inner surface of the outer shell.

[0017] A ninth aspect of the present invention is the above-described cranial shape correcting helmet, wherein a slit is provided in at least one of the left and right temporal portions of the outer shell. [Effects of the Invention]

[0018] The skull shape correction helmet according to the present invention can efficiently secure an area of ​​ventilation through-holes on the surface of the helmet, thereby maintaining a good scalp environment. Furthermore, by making the ventilation through-holes of regular size, distortion of the head can be easily confirmed from the outside by visually checking or by inserting a ruler or the like into the ventilation through-holes. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view of a skull shape correction helmet according to the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a rear view of the skull shape correction helmet according to the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a view of the skull shape correcting helmet according to the present invention as seen from the right side. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a left side view of the skull shape correction helmet according to the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a view of the skull shape correcting helmet according to the present invention as seen from the top of the head. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the skull shape correcting helmet according to the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the skull shape correcting helmet according to the present invention with a fixing band attached. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] The embodiments of the cranial shape correction helmet described in this specification will be described in more detail below with reference to the drawings, but are not intended to limit the present invention in any way.

[0021] FIG. 1 shows one embodiment of a cranial shape correction helmet according to the present invention. The cranial shape correction helmet 1 shown in FIG. 1 has ventilation through-holes 4 on the surface of the outer shell 2. While diamond-shaped holes are arranged regularly in FIG. 1, the shape of the ventilation through-holes in the present invention is not limited to this. Furthermore, the cranial shape correction helmet according to the present invention may also have a cushioning portion on the inside to provide cushioning for the head, and typically includes a liner approximately 2 to 20 mm thick made of foamed synthetic resin. This liner can be attached directly or indirectly to the cranial shape correction helmet 1, and the attachment method is not important to the present invention. FIG. 1 shows an attachment portion 3 for attaching a hook-and-loop fastener to the inside of the cranial shape correction helmet 1 as one embodiment.

[0022] In one embodiment of the cranial shape correction helmet 1, the cranial shape correction helmet is made of synthetic resin. Examples of synthetic resins include, but are not limited to, polyamide (nylon), polycarbonate, polyester, polyacetal, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polystyrene, polybutylene, ABS resin, cellulose-based resin, acrylic resin, epoxy resin, and fluororesin. The outer shell is preferably made of polyamide, particularly polyamide 12, from the standpoints of strength and hardness, as well as ease of molding using powder sintering layered manufacturing. Furthermore, the Shore D hardness of the molded cranial shape correction helmet 1 is preferably about 70 to about 85, for example, and more preferably about 75 to about 80.

[0023] The cranial shape correcting helmet 1 of the present invention may be formed by a manufacturing method using a 3D printer based on the outer shape of the deformed skull to be corrected. The outer shape of the deformed skull to be corrected can be determined by a well-known three-dimensional scanning method. Furthermore, since the powder sintering additive manufacturing method, which is a suitable example, is a well-known manufacturing method, a detailed description thereof will be omitted in this specification.

[0024] Next, referring to Figure 2, the ventilation through-holes 4 provided in the cranial shape correcting helmet 1 of the present invention will be described. In Figure 2, the ventilation through-holes 4a to 4g are regularly arranged on the cranial shape correcting helmet 1. In Figure 2, the area of ​​the ventilation through-holes 4a to 4g is gradually reduced vertically from the center. This configuration makes it possible to efficiently ensure the ventilation area on the surface of the helmet, while also reinforcing the nape and top of the head by increasing the resin density.

[0025] In addition, in Figure 2, the ventilation holes 4a to 4g are arranged in the same horizontal row, and the ventilation holes 4a to 4g can be arranged symmetrically on both sides of the helmet as a whole. With this configuration, for example, by inserting a diagnostic ruler or the like through holes at the same distance from the center, the distance from the patient's head can be confirmed. In the case of typical plagiocephaly, the height of the right and left occipital regions often differs, and by arranging the ventilation holes 4a to 4g as shown in Figure 2, such a difference between the left and right sides can be easily confirmed.

[0026] Next, with reference to Figures 3 to 6, other configurations of the cranial shape correcting helmet 1 of the present invention will be described. In addition to the configuration described in Figures 1 and 2, the cranial shape correcting helmet 1 of the present invention has a generally spherical helmet shape, a top opening 8 and a bottom opening 9 through which the face and other parts of the head come out, slits 6 formed on the side of the head, and connecting members 5 arranged horizontally in front and behind the slit 6. The slits on the side of the head may be on only one side as shown in Figure 4, or on both sides. The slits 6 may simply be grooves, or may be configured so that the rear end fits into the front end (or vice versa). By opening the slits appropriately according to the wearer's head development, the deformity can be corrected without interfering with the growth of the skull, and by adjusting the speed of the connecting members, the deformity can be corrected without placing a burden on the wearer's skull.

[0027] In Figure 3, the connecting member 5 has protrusions on both ends of the long side of the ellipse. The shape of the connecting member is not particularly important, as long as it has a shape and size that allows it to be fixed by the fixing band 10 (Figure 7).

[0028] A pair of reinforcing parts 7 are provided in the vertical direction on both front side surfaces of the cranial shape correction helmet 1. By providing the reinforcing parts 7, the baby's ears can be inserted into the resulting curved part, and the positional relationship between the cranial shape correction helmet 1 and the skull can be roughly fixed.

[0029] Next, referring to Figure 7, a further embodiment of the use of the cranial shape correction helmet 1 of the present invention will be described. In Figure 1, an inner liner 11 is provided inside the cranial shape correction helmet 1. Inner liner adhesive parts 3 for fastening the inner liner 11 are shown in Figure 1. In one embodiment of the inner liner adhesive part 3, it can be attached to the inner liner with a hook-and-loop fastener. This configuration makes it easy to put on and take off the inner liner for the purpose of head protection. The inner liner adhesive parts 3 can be attached in multiple locations on the inside of the cranial shape correction helmet 1. In the present invention, it is not intended that the means for attaching the inner liner be limited to those described above.

[0030] The material of the inner liner is not particularly limited, but examples include foamed synthetic resin, preferably foamed polyurethane or foamed nylon, and more preferably open-cell foamed polyurethane (for example, product name "Memory Foam CF-45").

[0031] The thickness of the inner liner is not limited to, but is, for example, about 1 to about 50 mm, preferably about 3 to about 40 mm, and more preferably about 5 to about 16 mm. The inner liner 200 may be configured to have a ball resilience of about 15% or less.

[0032] In addition to the inner liner, by providing a thickening member (not shown) at the desired position on the forehead and / or back of the neck and / or left and right temporal regions, it is possible to further reduce the deviation between the shape of the cranial shape correction helmet and the shape of the child's skull, and to further reduce unnecessary vibrations of the cranial shape correction helmet.

[0033] The fixing band 10 used in the cranial shape correcting helmet 1 of the present invention may be made of any material and any fastening means as long as it can fasten the bands together while engaging with the fixing member 5. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 7, it is preferable that the fixing band 10 has a loop on one side that engages with the protruding part of the connecting member 5 in Fig. 1, and that the opposing surface in the folded state has a hook-and-loop fastener configuration that can be fastened with a loop shape and a hook portion.

[0034] The above describes embodiments of the skull shape correction helmet according to the present invention, but these embodiments are merely examples and can be modified and changed as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 1: Head shape correction helmet 2: Hard outer shell 3: Inner liner adhesive part 4: Ventilation holes 5: Connecting parts 6:Slit 7: Reinforcement 8: Parietal opening 9: Lower opening 10: Fixing band 11: Inner liner

Claims

1. A skull shape correction helmet having a hard outer shell configured to cover the skull and having a plurality of ventilation through holes formed therein, at least some of the plurality of ventilation through holes are arranged at equal intervals in a region corresponding to any one of the frontal bone, the parietal bone, and the occipital bone, or a combination thereof; The hole area of ​​at least some of the plurality of ventilation through holes is largest at a vertical center portion and gradually decreases with increasing distance from the center portion, At least some of the plurality of ventilation through holes have a hole area that is symmetrically arranged in the up-down direction from a vertical center portion, The ventilation through holes in the vertical center are arranged symmetrically and have a hole area large enough to insert a ruler of a diagnostic tool. A helmet for correcting skull shape.

2. The cranial shape correction helmet according to claim 1 , further comprising an inner liner removably disposed on at least a portion of the inner surface of the outer shell.

3. The helmet for correcting cranial shape according to claim 1, wherein a slit is provided in at least one of the left and right sides of the outer shell.

Images