Light Pipe Visual Indication for NPWT Canister Status
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for effective and reliable notification of operating conditions associated with topical negative pressure (TNP) therapy devices to ensure proper user awareness and intervention during wound treatment.
Innovation Solution
A negative pressure wound therapy apparatus with a controller that determines various conditions and provides visual indications through a canister using light pipes and light sources, such as LEDs, to notify users of normal operation, blockages, canister full status, leaks, high pressure, or the presence of blood, utilizing different colors like green, yellow, or red for clear feedback.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the canister exterior surfaces are made opaque to store fluid, then user privacy and containment are improved, but visual indication of operating conditions becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Light pipes serve as intermediary elements that transmit visual information from the device housing through the opaque canister walls to the exterior, allowing the canister to remain opaque for fluid containment while still enabling visual indication of operating conditions through color-coded light transmission
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses color-coded light pipes (e.g., red, yellow, green) that change color based on operating conditions, allowing visual information to be transmitted through the opaque canister material without compromising fluid containment, as different colors indicate different system states
2Reliability
If multiple visual indications are provided for different conditions, then user awareness and system monitoring are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The visual indication system is segmented into multiple independent light pipes, each dedicated to indicating a specific operating condition (e.g., one light pipe for blockage, another for canister full status). This segmentation allows reliable multi-condition monitoring while maintaining simplicity, as each light pipe is a discrete, easily understood indicator rather than a complex integrated display
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 provides users with simple, reliable, and accurate visual feedback on the operation of the TNP system, enhancing user awareness and enabling timely interventions, thus improving wound healing outcomes.
Implementation Method 1
At least one light pipe can be configured to transmit light associated with at least one visual indication of the plurality of visual indications through at least a portion of the interior volume thereby causing the provision of the at least one visual indication to the user via the canister
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed systems and methods relate to status indication using a canister of negative pressure wound therapy apparatus. A method of providing a visual indication to a user of a negative pressure wound therapy apparatus can include, by a controller of the negative pressure wound therapy apparatus, determining a plurality of conditions associated with provision of negative pressure wound therapy by a negative pressure source of the negative pressure wound therapy apparatus and causing provision of a plurality of visual indications associated with the plurality of conditions to a user and, by at least one light pipe, transmitting light associated with at least one visual indication of the plurality of visual indications through at least a portion of an interior volume of a canister of the negative pressure wound therapy apparatus.