Modular Isolation Tent With Hands-Free Door and Disposable Shell
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing isolation solutions for infectious patients in healthcare facilities are complex, expensive, difficult to erect, require manual door operation, and pose risks of infectious material transmission, and often lack adequate space and resources for effective isolation.
Innovation Solution
A modular isolation apparatus with a frame that can be easily erected and collapsed, featuring a flexible disposable body, a hands-free door actuator, and integrated electrical components, allowing for efficient isolation and reduced contamination risk.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a hermetically sealed envelope is used for isolation, then isolation effectiveness is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a flexible disposable body made of sheet material that forms the isolation envelope, replacing complex rigid hermetic sealing systems. This flexible shell approach maintains isolation effectiveness while significantly reducing structural complexity and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a disposable body that is discarded after use, eliminating the need for complex cleaning, sterilization, and maintenance systems required for reusable hermetic enclosures. This disposable approach reduces overall system complexity while maintaining reliable isolation during the usage period.
2Device complexity
If manual door operation is used, then device complexity is reduced, but infection transmission risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical door operation with an automated door actuator system that opens and closes doors without requiring personnel to physically contact door handles. This substitution eliminates the transmission pathway for infectious materials while the actuator itself remains a relatively simple mechanical or electromechanical device.
3Reliability
If existing isolation enclosures are erected, then isolation effectiveness is improved, but setup time and difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the isolation system into modular components: a collapsible frame that can be quickly assembled and a separate disposable body that attaches to the frame. This segmentation allows parallel assembly of components and rapid deployment compared to traditional monolithic enclosures.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a collapsible frame structure that can be rapidly deployed and collapsed, replacing static rigid enclosures. The dynamic nature of the frame allows for quick setup and teardown while maintaining structural integrity during use, significantly reducing erection time.
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 1C~1D
Figure 2
AI summary
Apparatus for use in providing isolation, the apparatus including an isolation tent having a body including a roof member, at least one wall extending between a supporting surface and the roof member in use to thereby at least partially define an internal volume substantially isolated from a surrounding environment, a plurality of connectors coupled to the body, the plurality of connectors being adapted to physically attach the body to a frame and an electrical component electrically connected to at least one of the plurality of connectors to allow electrical signals to be transferred to or from the electrical component via the connector.