Bed Topper Flow Resistance Layout for Targeted Air Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Microclimate control toppers for beds fail to uniformly distribute airflow, leading to inadequate cooling and humidity reduction over the occupant's skin, particularly in regions like the torso and back, due to non-uniform skin temperature and sweat gland distribution, and are exacerbated by profile-adjustable beds that cause tissue shear and perfusion degradation.
Innovation Solution
A bed topper with a fluid flowpath exhibiting nonuniform resistance in longitudinal and lateral directions, utilizing varying filler material properties such as height, density, pore density, and orientation to preferentially direct airflow to target regions like the torso, ensuring a larger proportion of airflow reaches these areas while minimizing bypass.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If uniform airflow distribution is used across the topper, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the cooling and humidity reduction effectiveness is insufficient in specific target regions like the torso and back
Solution Approach 1:
The flow resistance of the flowpath is made non-uniform with different resistance values in different regions. Specifically, the flowpath has lower resistance in target regions (torso and back areas) and higher resistance in non-target regions, thereby directing airflow preferentially to areas where cooling and humidity control are most needed.
2Reliability
If airflow is directed preferentially to target regions using nonuniform resistance, then cooling effectiveness in critical areas is improved, but the flowpath structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The flowpath is designed with spatially varying resistance characteristics where different sections have different resistance levels. The regions corresponding to the occupant's torso and back have optimized resistance values to ensure adequate airflow for humidity control, while other regions have different resistance values to balance the overall airflow distribution.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances airflow distribution to critical skin regions, improving cooling and humidity reduction, thereby addressing the non-uniform cooling needs and tissue perfusion issues associated with profile-adjustable beds.
Implementation Method 1
The flowpath exhibits a nonuniform resistance to fluid flow in at least one of the longitudinal and lateral directions... configured to preferentially drive fluid flow through the topper so that a larger proportion of the fluid flowing through the topper flows under a target region
Data Source
AI summary
A bed comprises a mattress and a topper resting atop the mattress and extending in longitudinal and lateral directions. The topper has a fluid flowpath having an inlet and an outlet. The flowpath exhibits a nonuniform resistance to fluid flow in at least one of the longitudinal and lateral directions. The bed also includes a blower connected to the inlet for supplying air to the flowpath. The resistance may be a monotonically varying resistance to fluid flow in at least one of the longitudinal and lateral directions and configured to preferentially drive fluid flow through the topper so that a larger proportion of the fluid flowing through the topper flows under a target region and a relatively smaller portion bypasses the target region.