Foldable Ventilator Airbag Using Crease Patterns
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ventilators are bulky, costly, and often reserved for hospital settings, limiting their accessibility and portability, and their airbags tend to break down prematurely due to repeated compression cycles.
Innovation Solution
A ventilator with a foldable airbag featuring a pattern of linear creases or fold lines, such as Kresling, Yoshimura, or Tachi-Miura patterns, made through 3D printing, allowing for efficient folding and unfolding while minimizing stress, and weighing between 3 to 6 kilograms for portability and cost-effectiveness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional ventilator designs are used, then reliable breathing assistance is provided, but the device becomes bulky and expensive, limiting portability and accessibility
Solution Approach 1:
The airbag is divided into multiple polygonal surface portions connected by fold lines, allowing the structure to be segmented into manageable sections that can fold and compress efficiently, reducing overall device bulk while maintaining functional integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The airbag utilizes a flexible membrane structure with fold lines instead of rigid components, enabling the ventilator to be lightweight and portable while still providing reliable breathing assistance through controlled flexing and compression
2Ease of manufacture
If traditional airbag materials and structures are used, then initial functionality is achieved, but the airbag breaks down prematurely from repeated compression cycles
Solution Approach 1:
The airbag wall is segmented into multiple polygonal surface portions connected by fold lines, which allows the structure to distribute compression stresses across multiple controlled folding points rather than creating stress concentrations in traditional continuous structures
Solution Approach 2:
The fold lines are designed with specific geometric parameters (polygonal configurations) that change the stress distribution characteristics during compression, transforming the mechanical behavior to reduce stress concentrations and prevent material fatigue
3Weight of moving object
If compact ventilator design is implemented, then portability is improved, but the airbag structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The airbag employs a flexible membrane with integrated fold lines that inherently provides the compacting mechanism needed for portability, avoiding the need for complex mechanical compression systems while achieving space-efficient design
Solution Approach 2:
The polygonal surface portions of the airbag can be folded and nested within each other during compression, allowing the airbag to occupy minimal space when not in use while maintaining full functionality when deployed
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 ventilator is more portable, cost-effective, and has improved mechanical reliability with reduced stress on the airbag, enabling rapid deployment in various settings and prolonged usage without premature breakdown.
Implementation Method 1
the wall comprises fold lines formed therein such that, during movement of the airbag from the decompressed state to the compressed state, the wall is folded along the fold lines
Data Source
AI summary
There is described a ventilator for providing breathable air to a patient. The ventilator includes an airbag defining a longitudinal axis, having a first end, a second end, and a foldable wall extending from the first end to the second end, and being movable from a decompressed state to a compressed state by moving the first end along the longitudinal axis relative to the second end. The wall has fold lines formed therein such that, during movement of the airbag from the decompressed state to the compressed state, the wall is folded along the fold lines. The fold lines define at least one polygonal surface portion of the wall. The ventilator further includes an actuator for driving compression and decompression of the airbag, and a controller for controlling the actuator.