Conduit Connector Venting for Quieter CPAP Patient Interfaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing respiratory therapy devices and interfaces, such as CPAP masks, suffer from discomfort, poor fit, difficulty in use, and reduced compliance due to inadequate seal-forming structures and noisy vents, which impact patient adherence to therapy.
Innovation Solution
A patient interface with a plenum chamber, seal-forming structure, and positioning and stabilizing structure, along with a conduit connector and vent assembly that includes a movable flap to allow exhaled gases to escape, reducing noise and improving comfort and fit, while maintaining therapeutic pressure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a vent assembly is added to allow exhaled gases to escape, then patient comfort is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The vent assembly is integrated into the conduit connector, merging the venting function with the existing connector structure. This combination allows exhaled gases to escape through the vent assembly without requiring a completely separate component, thereby improving patient comfort while minimizing the increase in overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The vent assembly acts as an intermediary component between the plenum chamber and the external environment, providing a dedicated pathway for exhaled gases to escape. This intermediary structure resolves the contradiction by offering a controlled venting mechanism that improves comfort without substantially complicating the overall device design.
2Reliability
If a seal-forming structure is added to maintain therapeutic pressure, then therapy effectiveness is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patient interface is divided into distinct functional components including the seal-forming structure, plenum chamber, and vent assembly. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining overall ease of operation, as the modular design enables independent adjustment and positioning of the seal-forming structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The seal-forming structure is designed with dynamic characteristics that allow it to adapt to different patient anatomies and positioning requirements. This dynamic design maintains therapy effectiveness by ensuring reliable sealing while preserving ease of operation through adjustable and flexible positioning capabilities.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the vent assembly is made movable to reduce noise, then patient comfort is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The vent assembly incorporates a movable flap that provides partial opening action rather than complete movement. This partial action approach reduces noise by allowing controlled gas escape while avoiding the extreme precision requirements that would be needed for fully movable components, thereby improving patient comfort without excessively increasing manufacturing precision demands.
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 patient compliance and comfort by minimizing noise and improving the fit and effectiveness of respiratory therapy devices, allowing for better adherence to treatment regimens.
Implementation Method 1
a vent assembly positioned in the vent assembly receiving hole, constructed and arranged to allow for washout of exhaled gases to ambient
Data Source
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AI summary
A patient interface may include a plenum chamber pressurisable to a therapeutic pressure by a flow of air for breathing by a patient; a seal-forming structure connected to the plenum chamber, the seal-forming structure being constructed and arranged to seal with a region of the patient's face that at least partly surrounds an entrance to the patient's airways; a positioning and stabilising structure configured to hold the seal-forming structure in a therapeutically effective position on the patient's head; a first vent configured to allow exhaled gases to pass to ambient independent of therapeutic pressure and throughout the patient's respiratory cycle; and a second vent configured to reduce a vent flow of exhaled gases therethrough as the therapeutic pressure increases.