Forehead Support Spring Positioning for Leak-Safe Patient Interfaces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current patient interface forehead supports are complex and difficult to adjust, often requiring significant effort and memory to reposition correctly after cleaning, which can lead to discomfort and leakage issues due to inadequate fit and pressure distribution.
Innovation Solution
A patient interface adjusting device featuring a head harness with a support body and spring element that allows for precise, simple positioning on the face, using a spring element with varying characteristics to adapt to the user's forehead shape, providing stepless adjustment and secure latching to maintain optimal spacing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If complicated adjusting devices are used in forehead supports to ensure secure positioning, then positioning precision is improved, but device complexity increases and ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The spring element automatically adjusts the forehead support to the correct position based on the tightening force of the head harness, eliminating the need for manual adjustment mechanisms. The device serves itself by using the harness tension to compress the spring and position the support body, making the system self-regulating and eliminating complicated adjusting devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical state of the spring element from uncompressed to compressed based on the tightening force parameter of the head harness. This parameter change automatically adjusts the position of the forehead support, providing precise positioning through a simple mechanism that responds to the varying tension in the harness.
2Measurement precision
If forehead supports with adjusting devices are used to ensure secure positioning, then positioning precision is improved, but loss of time increases due to repeated adjustment after cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The spring element is pre-configured to automatically assume the correct position based on the harness tightening force. When the head harness is tightened, the spring element automatically compresses and positions the forehead support correctly without requiring any manual intervention. This preliminary configuration eliminates the need for repeated adjustments after cleaning, as the system automatically returns to its optimal position.
3Stress or pressure
If traditional forehead supports are used to reduce forces on the face, then pressure distribution is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the essential function of pressure distribution from complex adjusting mechanisms and implements it through a simple spring element. The spring element alone provides the necessary force distribution to the forehead, eliminating the need for complicated structures while maintaining comfortable pressure distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring element changes its compression parameter based on the harness tightening force, automatically adapting the pressure distribution to the user's forehead. This simple parameter change mechanism replaces complex multi-component adjusting devices while maintaining optimal pressure 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
The device ensures comfortable and secure positioning of the patient interface by automatically adjusting to the user's forehead, maintaining optimal spacing and preventing leakage, even during changes in position, through a combination of spring excursion and force distribution that adapts to the user's shape.
Implementation Method 1
The tightening force of the head harness is transmitted onto the spring element by the harness receiving element such that the spring element is compressed
Implementation Method 2
the spring element, in the mounted state, may be introduced in part into the receiving element and in part into the guide and may consequently be covered over its entire length
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a spring element which is suitable for use with a patient interface and in the form of an elongated body and has an axis along which the spring element is compressed. Arranged in a direction of the axis, the spring element comprises a first region and a second region, at least one characteristic of the spring element in the first region having a value which is different from a value of the at least one characteristic in the second region.