Hygiene Mask Seal Forming Structure for Vision and Eye Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional hygiene masks often fail to form a secure seal around the nose and mouth, leading to exhaled air escaping and causing dry eyes and fogging of glasses, while also being bulky and obstructing the field of vision.
Innovation Solution
A hygiene mask design that forms a seal around the nares and mouth without touching the nose above the greater alar cartilage, using a foam or textile body with a cantilever structure to direct exhaled air away from the eyes and prevent airflow leaks, featuring a positioning and stabilizing structure to maintain the mask's position on the head.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the mask periphery extends over the nose ridge and cheek to improve sealing, then the seal effectiveness improves, but the mask becomes bulky and obstructs the field of vision
Solution Approach 1:
The mask periphery is segmented into distinct functional zones: a seal-forming portion that contacts the face to create an airtight seal, and a headgear portion that extends upward to rest on the head. This segmentation allows the seal to be effective without requiring the entire mask to extend over the nose ridge, reducing bulk while maintaining sealing reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing function is moved from a two-dimensional planar extension over the nose ridge to a three-dimensional configuration where the seal-forming portion contours to the facial profile and the headgear portion extends in a different spatial dimension (upward toward the head). This dimensional redistribution maintains seal effectiveness while minimizing obstruction of the forward field of vision.
2Reliability
If the mask extends over the nose ridge to improve sealing, then the seal effectiveness improves, but the field of vision below horizontal is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The mask structure is divided into a seal-forming portion that remains low on the face and a headgear portion that extends upward. This segmentation ensures that the seal is effective without the mask body obstructing the horizontal or downward field of vision, maintaining illumination intensity and visual comfort.
Solution Approach 2:
Different portions of the mask have different functional qualities: the seal-forming portion is designed to conform to the facial profile for effective sealing, while the headgear portion is designed to rest on the head without obstructing vision. This local differentiation of quality allows effective sealing without compromising the field of vision.
3Reliability
If a malleable metal component is added to conform to the nasal ridge to improve sealing, then the seal effectiveness partially improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The malleable metal nosepiece is extracted as a separate, optional component rather than being integrated into the main mask body. Users can add or remove this component as needed, simplifying the default mask structure while still providing the option to enhance seal effectiveness for those who require it.
Solution Approach 2:
The mask design allows for parameter changes in seal effectiveness without changing the fundamental structure. The headgear portion can be adjusted in tension and position to modify the sealing pressure, providing adaptability without adding complex mechanical components.
Data Source
AI summary
A mask for use at an operating pressure substantially equal to atmospheric pressure includes a body with a three-dimensional shaped chamber that is configured to receive a user's mouth and nares and operate at the operating pressure. The mask also includes a nose portion having an uppermost portion sized to avoid contact with the user's nasal ridge and to contact the user's nose along the user's sagittal plane and around at least a portion of the user's nares on an inferior side of the user's nose inferior to the user's nasal ridge. The nose portion is constructed from an at least partially impermeable material to limit airflow toward the user's eyes in use. The mask also includes a positioning and stabilising structure to provide a force to hold the seal forming structure in position against the user.