Honeycomb Spring for Patient Interface Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing patient interface devices face challenges in providing a secure and comfortable fit due to complex and difficult-to-adjust forehead supports, which can lead to slipping and leakage, compromising therapy effectiveness.
Innovation Solution
A spring arrangement with a honeycomb structure and adjustable components, including a forehead pad and interchangeable angled connections, provides elastic support and secure positioning, featuring a spring body with inclined walls and a bearing surface for optimal fit and ease of use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an adjustable forehead support with multiple components is used to ensure reliable positioning, then positioning stability is improved, but device complexity and ease of operation deteriorate due to multi-part construction and difficult adjustment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the forehead support body, adjustment mechanism, and forehead pad into a single integrated structure. The spring body with honeycomb structure integrates both the supporting function and the adjustment mechanism, eliminating the need for separate adjustment components and reducing overall device complexity while maintaining positioning stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The spring body with honeycomb structure provides automatic adjustment through its elastic deformation characteristics. When force is applied, the spring body compresses and expands naturally, allowing the forehead support to self-adjust to different head sizes and shapes without requiring manual intervention or complex adjustment mechanisms.
2Reliability
If an adjustable forehead support with multiple components is used to ensure reliable positioning, then positioning stability is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to complicated adjustment and difficulty in cleaning
Solution Approach 1:
The integration of the forehead pad and spring body into a single piece eliminates multiple components that would otherwise require separate cleaning and adjustment. The unified structure can be easily disassembled from the patient interface for simple cleaning without dealing with multiple small parts.
Solution Approach 2:
The elastic honeycomb structure automatically adapts to different users through self-compression and self-expansion, eliminating the need for manual adjustment operations. Users simply need to position the device on their head, and the spring body automatically adjusts to the correct fit.
3Ease of operation
If a straightforward construction with fewer components is used, then ease of operation and cleaning are improved, but positioning stability and reliability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The honeycomb structure parameters (cell size, wall thickness, density) are optimized to provide the required combination of stiffness and compliance. By carefully controlling these parameters, the spring body achieves both the simplicity of a single-component design and the reliability of active positioning stability through its elastic properties.
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 solution enhances wearing comfort and stability by allowing for straightforward adjustment and secure positioning, reducing the risk of detachment and leakage, while maintaining robustness and functionality.
Implementation Method 1
a spring arrangement (1) for elastically supporting a patient interface on a patient
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a spring arrangement for elastically supporting a patient interface on a patient, wherein a spring body is provided, said spring body having a base structure, which is connected to the patient interface via connecting elements, wherein, starting from the base structure, inner walls and outer walls are arranged in an inclined state in relation to an axis extending in the spring direction, and wherein the walls, at least in part, form a honeycomb structure, and having a bearing surface, at least part of which extends parallel to the base structure, wherein the bearing surface is spaced apart from the base structure by at least two honeycomb structures.