Mask Vent Side Wall Design to Reduce Exhaust Noise and Air Jetting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing respiratory disorder treatment devices, such as CPAP machines and masks, often suffer from discomfort, noise, and inefficiencies in gas washout, leading to poor patient experience and disrupted sleep for both the patient and bed partners due to inadequate venting systems.
Innovation Solution
The development of a mask system with a vent arrangement featuring a continuous side wall surrounding vent holes to diffuse exhaust vent flow, reducing noise and air jetting, and incorporating a seal-forming structure with a flexible, resilient material to improve fit and comfort, along with a positioning and stabilizing structure to maintain the seal during use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a mask vent is provided to allow washout of exhaled carbon dioxide, then gas exchange efficiency is improved, but noise and air jetting increase causing disturbance to patient and bed partner
Solution Approach 1:
The vent is divided into multiple vent holes (at least two) instead of a single opening, distributing the exhaust flow across multiple smaller channels. This segmentation reduces the velocity and noise of individual jets while maintaining total washout capacity, directly addressing the contradiction between efficiency and noise reduction
Solution Approach 2:
The vent holes are nested within a recessed cavity formed by the side wall, creating a nested structure where the vent openings are embedded in the mask body. This nesting contains and directs the exhaust flow, reducing air jetting and noise propagation to the external environment while preserving gas exchange functionality
2Reliability
If a seal-forming structure is provided to prevent gas leakage, then treatment efficacy is improved, but comfort and fit may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The seal-forming structure is made from flexible, resilient material that can deform and conform to the contours of the patient's face. This flexibility ensures effective sealing to prevent gas leakage while adapting to individual facial geometries, thereby maintaining both reliability and comfort without requiring rigid or uncomfortable structures
Solution Approach 2:
The seal-forming structure incorporates material with specific elastic properties that allow it to dynamically adjust its shape and pressure distribution. This parameter change in material behavior enables the seal to maintain effectiveness across different wearing conditions while preserving patient comfort through adaptive fit
3Ease of manufacture
If vent holes are provided without surrounding structure, then manufacturing simplicity is maintained, but exhaust flow dispersion and noise reduction are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The side wall creates a three-dimensional recessed cavity around the vent holes, adding a vertical dimension to the vent structure. This dimensional change allows the exhaust flow to be contained and dispersed in multiple directions within the cavity space, reducing concentrated jetting and noise while maintaining a relatively simple manufacturing process through integral forming
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 patient comfort by reducing noise and air disruption, improving the seal and stability of the mask, and dispersing vent airflow to minimize disturbance, thereby improving treatment efficacy and patient compliance.
Implementation Method 1
a continuous side wall structured to surround the plurality of vent exits of the vent holes
Implementation Method 2
a seal-forming structure made from a flexible, resilient material
Data Source
AI summary
A vent arrangement for a mask system includes a mask component and a mask vent provided to the mask component. The mask vent includes a plurality of vent holes each extending through a thickness of the mask component and each including a vent exit, and a continuous side wall structured to surround the plurality of vent exits of the vent holes.