Detachable Crew Oxygen Mask Retention for Five-Second Donning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing respiratory masks are uncomfortable to wear for long periods and impractical to wear in a preventive or stand-by mode, and existing masks do not meet the commercial aviation industry's requirements for quick donning and donning within five seconds with a single hand.
Innovation Solution
A respiratory mask assembly with a detachable retention mechanism that allows for quick donning and preventive wearing, enabling the respiratory mask assembly to be movable between a stowed, stand-by, and use positions, and a use position, using a retention mechanism such as a snap fastener, buckle, clip, or magnet.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If existing respiratory masks are worn for long periods in preventive mode, then hypoxia prevention is maintained, but comfort deteriorates and wearability becomes impractical
Solution Approach 1:
The respiratory mask system is divided into two separable components: a head armature that can be worn comfortably on the head, and a mask portion that can be detached. This segmentation allows the user to wear only the lightweight head armature during preventive mode, improving comfort while maintaining hypoxia prevention capability when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a static, fixed mask design to a dynamic, reconfigurable system where the mask portion can be attached or detached from the head armature. This dynamic configuration allows the user to switch between wearing the full mask assembly and wearing only the head armature, adapting to different operational modes and comfort requirements.
2Loss of time
If respiratory masks are designed for quick donning in five seconds or less, then emergency response time is reduced, but structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The retention mechanism is extracted as a separate, dedicated component system consisting of retention members on the head armature and corresponding engagement features on the mask portion. This extraction allows the retention function to be optimized independently, using simple snap-fit or magnetic mechanisms that achieve quick donning without requiring complex integrated systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The head armature is pre-configured with retention members positioned to automatically engage with the mask portion when brought into proximity. This preliminary positioning of retention features ensures that when the mask needs to be donned, the user simply needs to bring the components together, and the retention mechanism automatically secures them, achieving five-second donning without complex manual operations.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4A~4B
AI summary
A head armature for a respiratory system includes a cradle and a retention mechanism. The cradle is configured to receive a respiratory mask assembly in a stand-by position. The retention mechanism is configured to detachably connect the respiratory mask assembly with the head armature such that the respiratory mask assembly is movable from the stand-by position to a use position while connected to the head armature and such that the respiratory mask assembly is selectively detachable from the head armature in a stand-alone configuration whereby the respiratory mask assembly is disconnected from the head armature. In the use position, the respiratory mask assembly is configured to provide oxygen to a user. The head armature is configured to be worn on a head of the user such that the cradle is between the respiratory mask assembly and the user's head when the respiratory mask assembly is in the stand-by position.