Nasal Assembly Decoupling Stability and Sealing Forces
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing nasal assemblies for treating Sleep Disordered Breathing (SDB) often compromise patient comfort due to irritation from tension forces, inadequate sealing, and air flow irritation, while also requiring adjustments to accommodate varying nose shapes and angles, which can affect the balance between stability and sealing forces.
Innovation Solution
A nasal assembly design that decouples stability and sealing forces, featuring a frame with side members, a nozzle assembly that contacts the external rim of the nares, and a headgear system that adjusts without directly applying tension to the nose, allowing for greater nozzle movement and reduced contact with sensitive areas, along with a vent system for exhaled gas exit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the headgear assembly applies tension to hold the nasal assembly in place, then the seal is maintained, but patient comfort deteriorates due to irritation from tension forces
Solution Approach 1:
The nasal assembly is divided into separate functional components: a headgear assembly for stability, a rigid shell for structure, and soft nasal pillows for sealing. This segmentation allows each component to perform its function independently, with the soft pillows creating seal through contact pressure rather than headgear tension, thereby maintaining seal reliability while improving patient comfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The nasal pillows are designed with specific material properties (soft, compliant) and geometric characteristics (convex outer surface, concave inner surface) that enable them to create an effective seal through local contact pressure rather than global tension. This local quality approach concentrates the sealing force at the pillow-nare interface, improving comfort while maintaining seal effectiveness.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the nasal assembly is designed to accommodate various nose shapes and angles, then adaptability is improved, but the balance between stability and sealing forces becomes more difficult to maintain
Solution Approach 1:
The nasal assembly incorporates adjustable components including a headgear assembly with adjustable straps and a rigid shell with rotatably mounted nasal pillows. These dynamic adjustment mechanisms allow the assembly to adapt to various nose shapes and angles while maintaining the optimal balance between stability and sealing forces for each patient's unique anatomy.
Solution Approach 2:
The nasal assembly design incorporates universal features such as an adjustable headgear system and rotatable nasal pillows that can accommodate diverse nose geometries. The soft nasal pillows serve multiple functions: sealing, comfort, and adaptability to different nose shapes, while the rigid shell provides structural stability. This multi-functionality allows a single design to maintain force balance across various patient types.
3Reliability
If the nozzles are positioned to contact the internal passages of the nose, then sealing is achieved, but patient comfort deteriorates due to irritation from the nozzles
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of having the nozzles contact the internal nasal passages directly, the design inverts the approach by using soft nasal pillows with convex outer surfaces that contact the external nare rim. The concave inner surfaces of these pillows face inward to create seal without irritating the sensitive internal passages, thereby maintaining sealing effectiveness while eliminating the irritation problem.
4Stability of the object's composition
If the rigid shell and headgear assembly are joined using a connector, then structural stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The headgear assembly and rigid shell are merged into an integrated unit where the headgear straps attach directly to the rigid shell structure. This merging eliminates the need for separate connectors and intermediate fastening mechanisms, thereby maintaining structural stability while reducing device complexity and the number of potential failure points.
Data Source
AI summary
A vent assembly includes at least one vent having a first end configured to face atmosphere and a second end opposite the first end, and a central portion provided between the first and second ends including a substantially cylindrical cross-sectional shape, wherein the second end includes a counter bore.