Asymmetrical Pacifier Back Plate for NICU Infant Retention
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Solution Overview
Problem
NICU infants struggle to keep traditional pacifiers in their mouths due to weaker suction forces and side-lying sleeping positions, which often result in the pacifier coming into contact with surrounding objects or obstructing medical equipment.
Innovation Solution
A pacifier design featuring an asymmetrical back plate portion with an extension portion that extends only on one side, allowing the pacifier to be securely held in the NICU infant's mouth even in a side-lying position, and preventing contact with bedding or obstruction of medical equipment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional symmetrical pacifier with a back plate portion of predetermined spread is used, then the pacifier structure is stable and simple to manufacture, but NICU infants cannot keep it in their mouths due to weaker suction forces and side-lying sleeping positions
Solution Approach 1:
The back plate portion is designed with an asymmetrical shape featuring an extension portion that protrudes in a specific direction. This asymmetry allows the pacifier to remain stable in the infant's mouth during side-lying sleep positions without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms, directly resolving the contradiction between reliability and device complexity.
2Ease of manufacture
If the back plate portion has a predetermined spread and is symmetrical, then the pacifier is easy to manufacture, but it contacts bedding or obstructs medical equipment when infants sleep on their sides
Solution Approach 1:
The extension portion of the back plate is designed to extend in a specific direction away from the side-lying position, preventing contact with bedding or medical equipment while maintaining manufacturing simplicity. This directional extension eliminates the harmful effects without requiring complex multi-component structures.
3Ease of operation
If NICU infants sleep in side-lying position, then they can breathe more comfortably, but the symmetrical back plate portion contacts surrounding objects causing the pacifier to be dislodged
Solution Approach 1:
The extension portion is oriented to align with the side-lying sleep position, creating a stable configuration that prevents the pacifier from rotating or falling out. This asymmetric design maintains ease of operation for side-lying sleep while significantly improving pacifier retention reliability.
Data Source
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AI summary
To provide a pacifier that an infant hospitalized in a neonatal intensive care unit can keep in his/her mouth. A pacifier 2 includes: a nipple portion 3 held in a mouth of the infant hospitalized in a neonatal intensive care unit; and a back plate portion 4 that is connected to a base portion of the nipple portion 3 and has an asymmetrical shape with respect to an axis 36 passing through a center 35 of the nipple portion 3 and extending in a vertical direction connecting a nose and the mouth of the infant in a state where the infant holds the pacifier 2 in the mouth. The back plate portion 4 includes: a main body portion 41 connected to the base portion of the nipple portion 3; and an extension portion 42 that is connected to the main body portion 41 on either side of a lateral direction that is perpendicular to the vertical direction and connects left and right cheeks of the infant in a state where the infant holds the pacifier 2 in the mouth, the extension portion 42 extending from the main body portion 41 toward the either side.