Respiratory Mask Frame and Headgear for Stable Under-Nasal Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Respiratory masks with reduced contact areas on the face, such as under-nasal masks, face stability issues due to reduced contact, leading to potential leaks and discomfort, which can disrupt the delivery of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy.
Innovation Solution
A headgear system with an integrally formed closed loop, comprising a yoke, side arms, and a top strap, along with a rear strap, designed to provide stability and maintain a seal by distributing forces across the head, ensuring the mask remains in place during therapy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If the contact area of the mask on the face is reduced, then user comfort and skin health are improved, but mask stability deteriorates leading to potential leaks
Solution Approach 1:
The headgear system is segmented into multiple independent components (yoke, side arms, top strap, rear strap) that work together to distribute stabilization forces across different regions of the head, allowing the mask itself to maintain minimal facial contact while stability is provided by the distributed headgear structure
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from two-dimensional facial contact stabilization to three-dimensional head-wide distribution by extending the stabilization system across the top, sides, and rear of the head, creating a volumetric support structure that compensates for reduced facial contact area
2Reliability
If the headgear structure is made more complex to improve mask stability, then seal reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple headgear components (yoke, side arms, top strap, rear strap) are integrally formed as a single unified structure, combining what could be separate complex components into one monolithic piece that provides all necessary stabilization functions through its geometry rather than through multiple interacting parts
Solution Approach 2:
The integrally formed headgear structure performs multiple functions simultaneously: the yoke provides frontal support, the side arms provide lateral stabilization, the top strap provides crown support, and the rear strap provides occipital support, all within a single universal structure that replaces what would traditionally require multiple separate adjustment mechanisms
Data Source
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AI summary
A frame (100) for a respiratory mask comprising: a body including an exterior surface and an interior surface; the exterior surface including a yoke receiving structure configured to receive a yoke, wherein the yoke receiving structure spans the longitudinal distance of the body, the exterior surface further including an inlet collar (114), defining an inlet; the interior surface including an outlet collar (137), defining an outlet, wherein a gas pathway is formed between the inlet and the outlet, and wherein the perimeter of the gas pathway at the inlet is less than the perimeter of the gas pathway at the outlet.