Convective Blanket Airflow Guide Layout for Uniform Warming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Convection blankets without adjacent cuff configurations face challenges in regulating air flow and maintaining uniform temperature distribution, leading to varying temperature gradients across different sections of the blanket.
Innovation Solution
The design features an upper and lower air-impermeable layer with selectively bonded non-contiguous strips forming air flow guides and strategically placed apertures to direct and distribute heated air evenly across the blanket, ensuring consistent warmth across the patient's surface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If traditional adjacent cuff configuration is used, then air flow regulation is simplified, but the blanket structure becomes complex and less adaptable to modern non-self-erecting designs
Solution Approach 1:
The blanket is divided into multiple non-contiguous strips that are selectively bonded to form discrete air flow guides. These segmented strips create multiple independent air flow pathways throughout the blanket, allowing air to be directed to specific regions without requiring a complex continuous cuff structure. This segmentation enables the blanket to adapt to modern non-self-erecting designs while maintaining air flow regulation capability.
2Temperature
If air flow guides are added to regulate air flow patterns, then temperature uniformity improves, but the blanket structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The air flow guides are strategically positioned at specific locations within the blanket to address local temperature variations. By creating discrete air flow pathways at critical regions, the system achieves temperature uniformity without requiring comprehensive coverage throughout the entire blanket. This localized approach reduces structural complexity while maintaining effective temperature distribution.
3Productivity
If multiple non-contiguous strips are used to form air flow guides, then air flow distribution improves, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The non-contiguous strips are pre-configured with specific bonding patterns during manufacturing to create the air flow guide structure. By preparing the bonding configuration in advance, the complex air flow distribution system can be assembled efficiently without requiring complicated real-time assembly procedures. This preliminary preparation balances manufacturing complexity with the need for effective air flow 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
This configuration ensures a uniform temperature gradient across the blanket, effectively preventing heat loss and maintaining consistent warmth, particularly for patients like infants or children, by directing airflow and varying aperture density to balance warmth distribution.
Implementation Method 1
A plurality of non-contiguous strips or seams whereby selective portions of the upper and lower layers away from the periphery are bonded to each other are formed at various sections of the blanket. Two sets of such aligned strips that run parallel to each other form an air flow guide or a through channel in the blanket where the air input into the blanket is directed to flow in a given direction.
Implementation Method 2
For each set of the multiple strips, the proximal and distal ends of each of the strips are in alignment with the proximal and distal ends, respectively, of a corresponding strip of another set of non-contiguous strips that make up the air flow guide channel. Accordingly, a cross channel is formed in the blanket structure for the air flow guide between the respective distal ends of the first of two successive non-contiguous strips and the respective proximal ends of the second of the two successive non-contiguous strips.
Implementation Method 3
the upper layer of the blanket, onto which the patient is placed, is manufactured to have a plurality of apertures, or holes, thereat for the heated air to escape
Implementation Method 4
an inflatable convective blanket that provides a constant stream of warmed air. To provide uniform warmth to the patient, after heated air is input to the blanket for inflating the same, the flow pattern of the heated air, as well as the output of the warmed air from the blanket, needs to be regulated or guided
Data Source
AI summary
A convective blanket has multiple sets of discontinuous bonding strips that bond or attach its upper layer to its lower layer to form a number of air flow guides within the blanket. There is at least one set of substantially parallel discontinuous strips proximate to the air input port of the blanket and another set of substantially parallel discontinuous strips remote from the air input port. For each set of in parallel discontinuous bond strips, the respective distal and proximal ends of each successive strips are aligned with the distal and proximal ends of a corresponding substantially in parallel strip to effect a cross channel so that air flowing along the air flow guide may escape to different sections of the blanket. To output the heated air from the blanket, respective single rows of successively spaced air holes are formed adjacent to and substantially along the length of the discontinuous bond strips that are located proximate to the air input port. For those sets of discontinuous bond strips that are remote from the air input port, there is provided adjacent to and substantially along the length of each of those strips multiple rows of successively spaced holes.