Patient Interface Nasal Seal with Bellows Compression for Extended Wear
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional patient interface devices, such as masks, often cause discomfort due to inadequate sealing and pressure distribution, especially when worn for extended periods, leading to issues like irritation and poor fit.
Innovation Solution
A nasal seal with a soft flexible material featuring a bellows portion and nostril prongs that allow for linear compression, expansion, and pivoting, along with asymmetrical and non-conical designs to enhance fit and reduce contact with sensitive nasal surfaces.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If a conventional mask is worn for extended periods, then the mask can provide continuous breathing gas delivery, but the mask causes discomfort and irritation due to inadequate sealing and pressure distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing member incorporates a bellows portion with specific local structural qualities that allow for controlled compression and expansion. This localized structural feature enables the mask to adapt to facial contours and distribute pressure more evenly, reducing discomfort and irritation during extended wear while maintaining effective sealing.
Solution Approach 2:
The bellows portion of the sealing member is designed to be dynamically responsive, allowing the mask to compress and expand in response to facial movements and pressure changes. This dynamic capability enables the mask to maintain comfort and sealing effectiveness throughout the night, accommodating changes in facial geometry without causing irritation.
2Reliability
If the mask provides a tight seal against the face, then the mask can maintain adequate pressure, but the mask causes discomfort and irritation to the user
Solution Approach 1:
The bellows portion enables the sealing member to change its physical parameters (volume, shape, pressure distribution) in response to external forces and internal pressure. This parameter variability allows the mask to maintain reliable sealing through pressure changes while distributing forces to minimize discomfort and irritation on the user's face.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the sealing member is made of soft flexible material, then the mask can improve comfort, but the mask may reduce structural support and sealing consistency
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing member utilizes a bellows portion constructed from flexible material that maintains structural integrity through its geometric design. The bellows structure provides inherent structural support while remaining flexible, enabling the mask to conform to facial contours for comfort while maintaining consistent sealing pressure and reliability throughout extended use.
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 nasal seal provides improved comfort and sealing performance by adapting to various nasal shapes, reducing irritation, and maintaining a secure fit during sleep or other prolonged use scenarios.
Implementation Method 1
The bellows portion is configured to allow for linear compression and/or expansion of the seal body in an axial direction
Implementation Method 2
a seal body formed of a soft flexible material
Data Source
AI summary
A patient interface can have a frame supporting a sealing member. Various features of the sealing member can improve comfort and sealing performance in the context of forming seals with the nares of a user, as well as contact with other facial surfaces. The sealing member can include convex portions, concave portions and thickness variations for providing various sealing, comfort, and deformability effects.