Adjustable Faceplate Slider for Respiratory Mask Fit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing respiratory facemasks face challenges in securing a tight fit on patients of varying sizes, leading to leakage issues and the inability to effectively use smaller mask sizes due to real-estate restrictions and curvature issues, which limits their applicability, especially for pediatric patients.
Innovation Solution
An adjustable faceplate with a slider mechanism that allows for adjustable positioning of the nose and chin pressure points, accommodating different mask sizes, and incorporating features like filter protection, strap locking, and a nebulizer cutout, which can be used with various mask sizes, including pediatric masks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a fixed-size faceplate is used, then the structure is simple, but it cannot accommodate different mask sizes (adult, child, pediatric)
Solution Approach 1:
The faceplate incorporates a movable slider mechanism that allows adjustment of the distance between nose and chin pressure points. This dynamic adjustment capability enables a single faceplate to accommodate different mask sizes (adult, child, pediatric) without requiring multiple fixed-size faceplates, thus improving adaptability while maintaining reasonable structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustable faceplate serves multiple functions by accommodating various mask sizes through a single device. The slider mechanism allows one faceplate to perform the role of multiple fixed-size faceplates, making it a universal solution for different patient age groups and mask requirements.
2Reliability
If smaller mask sizes are used for pediatric patients, then the mask fits better, but leakage occurs due to real-estate restrictions and curvature issues
Solution Approach 1:
The movable slider allows the faceplate to dynamically adjust the spacing between nose and chin pressure points. For smaller pediatric masks, the slider can be positioned to reduce the distance between pressure points, maintaining effective sealing contact despite the limited real-estate and curvature constraints of smaller masks.
Solution Approach 2:
The faceplate applies localized pressure through dedicated nose and chin pressure points that can be independently positioned via the slider mechanism. This localized pressure application ensures reliable sealing at critical areas regardless of the overall mask size, addressing the leakage issue in smaller masks while maintaining adaptability across patient populations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple mask sizes and faceplates are maintained, then each patient size can be served, but inventory complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The adjustable faceplate consolidates multiple fixed-size faceplate functions into a single device. By incorporating the slider mechanism, one faceplate can serve adult, child, and pediatric patients, eliminating the need to maintain inventory of multiple different faceplate sizes and reducing overall supply chain complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The dynamic adjustment capability of the slider mechanism allows a single faceplate design to adapt to different patient sizes. This dynamic design replaces the static inventory strategy of maintaining multiple fixed-size faceplates, reducing the quantity of variants needed while preserving comprehensive patient coverage.
Data Source
AI summary
A relatively rigid, adjustable faceplate fitted over and working in conjunction with a relatively flexible respiratory facemask. The faceplate pushes (urges) the facemask against a user's (patient's) facial features to assure a better fit of the facemask to the patient's face. Straps are disposed on the faceplate, rather than on the facemask. The faceplate may provide or comprise: filter protection from user contact, strap locking features, cutouts for accommodating stick-on filters mounted to the facemask, and a nebulizer cutout. An upper portion of the faceplate is provided with a slider to allow the faceplate to achieve an effective fit when used with different size (adult, child, pediatric) facemasks by adjusting the distance between a nose pressure point and a chin pressure point of the faceplate.