Inflatable Padding Pressure Chamber for Limb Therapy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pressure therapy devices are cumbersome, difficult to customize, and require trained professionals for use, often causing discomfort and risk of injury due to improper fitting and pressure application, especially for patients with limited mobility or fragile skin.
Innovation Solution
A pressure therapy device with a streamlined pressure chamber, inflatable padding, and intuitive sealing system that allows users to easily don and adjust the device without assistance, featuring a one-way valve for automatic inflation and deflation, and modular components for additional treatments, ensuring safe and effective pressure application.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If known pressure therapy devices use a closed pressure chamber to apply controlled pressure, then pressure therapy effectiveness is improved, but device complexity and difficulty of operation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The pressure chamber is divided into multiple separable components including a chamber body, lid, and inflatable cushion. This segmentation allows each component to be independently manufactured, sterilized, and assembled, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining the sealed environment necessary for effective pressure therapy.
Solution Approach 2:
The inflatable cushion is nested within the pressure chamber, and the limb is nested within the cushion. This nested arrangement allows the cushion to expand and contract around the limb while maintaining the sealed pressure environment, simplifying the overall structure compared to rigid sealed chambers.
2Reliability
If known pressure therapy devices use a sealed pressure chamber, then pressure control is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates due to difficulty in limb placement
Solution Approach 1:
The inflatable cushion transitions from a deflated state during limb insertion to an inflated state during treatment. This dynamic transformation allows the chamber to easily accommodate the limb without requiring complex opening mechanisms, while still maintaining a sealed environment for precise pressure control during therapy.
Solution Approach 2:
The inflatable cushion acts as a flexible sealing element that conforms to the limb shape. This flexible membrane provides an effective seal between the limb and pressure chamber without requiring rigid structures or complex sealing mechanisms, greatly simplifying limb placement and device operation.
3Reliability
If negative pressure is applied in known devices, then pressure therapy is improved, but patient safety deteriorates due to limb contact with chamber edges
Solution Approach 1:
The inflatable cushion serves as an intermediary between the pressure chamber and the patient's limb. When negative pressure is applied, the cushion inflates and acts as a protective buffer, preventing direct contact between the limb and the rigid chamber edges, thereby eliminating the risk of skin damage while maintaining effective pressure therapy.
Solution Approach 2:
The inflatable cushion is positioned beforehand to surround the limb before negative pressure is applied. This prior cushioning ensures that when negative pressure causes the limb to move or expand, the soft cushion material absorbs the force and prevents contact with hard chamber surfaces, proactively protecting the patient from injury.
4Object-affected harmful factors
If custom-fitted padding is used in known devices, then patient comfort is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The inflatable cushion dynamically adjusts its shape and size based on the volume of air introduced. This allows a single standardized cushion design to accommodate various limb sizes and shapes, eliminating the need for custom-fitted padding for each patient while maintaining comfort and effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The cushion's physical parameters (volume, pressure, shape) are changed by controlling the air pressure within it. This parameter adjustment allows one cushion to serve multiple patients with different limb dimensions, replacing the need for multiple custom-fitted options and simplifying the device design.
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 provides a comfortable, customizable, and safe pressure therapy experience, reducing the risk of injury and improving blood flow, while being user-friendly and cost-effective for patients with various medical conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a pump unit connected to the pressure chamber and configured to generate a negative pressure within the pressure chamber
Implementation Method 2
a one-way valve positioned within the pressure chamber and configured to allow air to enter the pressure chamber during atmospheric pressure periods and prevent air from leaving the pressure chamber during negative pressure periods
Implementation Method 3
an inflatable padding positioned within the pressure chamber and in communication with the pressure region... the inflatable padding is configured to inflate in response to negative pressure within the pressure chamber
Data Source
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AI summary
A pressure therapy device (100)includes a pressure chamber (110),an inflatable padding(140),a seal (150),and a positioningmechanism (172). The pressure chamber (110)has an opening(120)arranged for admittingthe inflatable padding(140)and a limbof a user. The inflatable padding(140)is inflatable in order to enclose and fix the limb in position. The seal (150)covers the opening (120),including the inflatable padding(140)and the limbin order to seal the pressure chamber (140)from ambient atmospheric pressure. A pump unit (190)is provided to generate a non-atmospheric pressure within the pressure chamber (110),and includes a first valve system (210)and a piston (200)with safetyrelease features for preventingunsafe pressure levels.