Medical Device Drop Protection With Deployable Impact Dampening

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Emergency medical personnel often cannot reach victims in time to provide necessary medical intervention, necessitating the delivery of medical equipment to the scene by laypersons, which requires gentle impact to avoid damage to expensive and complex devices like AEDs.

Innovation Solution

An apparatus with an external case and impact dampening elements that transform from a stowed to a deployed state to buffer the force of impact, using airbags, springs, or air diverting elements to limit acceleration and impact force on medical devices dropped to emergency locations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of time

If medical equipment is dropped to the emergency location, then delivery time is reduced and medical intervention can be provided faster, but impact force increases and may damage the expensive and complex medical devices

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedelivery timeVSAvoidimpact force

Core Design Contradiction:

Loss of timeVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent incorporates impact dampening elements (airbags, springs, or air diverting elements) into the external case that are activated upon impact to cushion the medical device. These elements are pre-positioned and ready to deploy, providing protective action in advance of the actual impact event, thereby resolving the contradiction between fast delivery and impact protection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent transforms the harmful impact force into a beneficial triggering mechanism. The impact itself activates the dampening elements (e.g., compressing springs, inflating airbags, or deploying air diverting elements), converting the harmful kinetic energy into a protective response that cushions the device and reduces the transmitted impact force.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If impact dampening elements are added to the external case, then impact protection is improved, but device complexity and size increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveimpact protectionVSAvoidcase structure

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent places the impact dampening elements inside the external case, nesting the protective mechanism within the existing case structure. The airbags, springs, or air diverting elements are contained within the case volume, allowing impact protection to be added without significantly increasing the overall external dimensions or complexity of the medical device assembly.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs flexible airbags and thin-film air diverting elements as impact dampening components. These flexible structures can be integrated into the external case with minimal added complexity, as they conform to the case geometry and can be deployed from a compact stowed state to a protective deployed state without requiring complex mechanical linkages or rigid structures.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

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

The apparatus effectively reduces impact forces to safe levels, protecting medical devices from damage during delivery, ensuring they are ready for immediate use by rescuers.

Implementation Method 1

at least one impact dampening element coupled to the external case, the at least one impact dampening element being configured to transform from a stowed state to a deployed state while the medical device is dropped to the location

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectImpact dampening: Damping

Implementation Method 2

The at least one impact dampening element may include an airbag

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectAirbag inflation: Pressure Increase

Implementation Method 3

using airbags, springs, or air diverting elements to limit acceleration and impact force

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectSpring compression: Spring

Implementation Method 4

using airbags, springs, or air diverting elements to limit acceleration and impact force on medical devices dropped to emergency locations

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectAir diversion: Drag

Data Source

PatentUS12404086B2Limiting acceleration of a medical device dropped to the location of an emergency medical event

Publication Date: 2025.09.02 ZOLL MEDICAL CORPORATION

AI summary

In an illustrative embodiment, systems and apparatus for limiting acceleration of medical equipment dropped to a location of an emergency medical event include one or more protection elements for protecting the medical equipment against impact forces that may damage the equipment. The protection elements may include one or more elements configured to reduce acceleration of the medical equipment while dropping to the location. The protection elements may include one or more elements configured to absorb impact forces to reduce the forces realized by the medical equipment. The medical equipment may be dropped to the location by an unmanned aerial vehicle.