Detachable Controller for Inflation Garment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional inflatable garment devices for DVT and lymphedema therapy require electrical power, limiting portability and requiring a stationary presence, and existing portable controllers are not easily detachable or interchangeable with different sleeves.
Innovation Solution
A battery-powered inflatable garment apparatus with a detachable controller and pump mounted on an interface plate with asymmetric air inlet and discharge receivers, ensuring proper orientation and allowing for easy detachment and recharging, along with multiple sequentially pressurized chambers for effective therapy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the controller is permanently integrated into the inflatable garment, then the device structure is simplified, but the controller cannot be detached for recharging or interchange with different sleeves
Solution Approach 1:
The device is divided into separable components: the controller housing with mounting brackets is detached from the inflatable garment sleeve. The mounting brackets are specifically designed to attach to the garment, allowing the controller to be easily separated and reattached or exchanged with different sleeves, achieving both versatility and manageable complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting brackets are integrated within the controller housing structure, nesting the attachment mechanism inside the controller body. This allows the controller to be self-contained with built-in mounting capabilities without requiring separate attachment components, simplifying the overall structure while maintaining interchangeability
2Ease of operation
If the controller is made portable and detachable, then the device can be recharged and interchanged easily, but the mounting structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting system transitions from a fixed permanent connection to a dynamic removable connection. The mounting brackets are designed with attachment and detachment capabilities, allowing the controller to be easily mounted to or removed from the inflatable garment as needed, providing operational flexibility without excessive structural complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting brackets serve as intermediary components between the controller housing and the inflatable garment. These brackets facilitate easy attachment and detachment while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure, acting as a mediator that enables ease of operation without requiring complex integration mechanisms
3Reliability
If asymmetric air inlet and discharge receivers are used, then proper mounting orientation is ensured, but the mounting structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The air inlet receiver and air discharge receiver are positioned asymmetrically on the controller housing. This asymmetric arrangement creates a unique orientation that ensures the controller can only be mounted in the correct position on the inflatable garment, guaranteeing proper connection of air lines while maintaining relatively simple mounting structure
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using complex mechanical orientation mechanisms, the design inverts the approach by using asymmetric receiver positioning to naturally guide correct orientation. The asymmetric placement of air inlet and discharge receivers creates an inherent orientation system that ensures proper mounting without requiring additional complex structural elements
Data Source
AI summary
An inflation garment for the treatment of DVT is operated by a portable, battery powered air pump and controller detachably mounted on an interface plate incorporated into the inflation garment. The interface plate is formed with outwardly projecting mounting spikes that are engagable with openings in the controller housing to affect a detachable mounting of the housing to the interface plate. The air inlet and discharge receivers on the housing are asymmetrically oriented to promote proper mounting of the controller on the inflation garment. The air inlet and discharge receivers are engagable with inlet and discharge ports in the interface plate. For the multiple chamber inflation garment utilizing the battery powered detachable air pump and controller, the inflation chambers are provided with valves between adjoining chambers that allow sequential pressurizing of the inflation chambers and a simultaneous discharge of air from the chambers to complete a therapy cycle.