Pneumatic Cooling Device Using Venturi Effect for Infection Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Hospitals face challenges in providing cooled, moving air to patients without spreading bacteria and pathogens, as traditional fans can disseminate infections.
Innovation Solution
A pneumatic cooling device utilizing a housing with an inlet and outlet, employing the venturi effect to increase low-flow medical air velocity, creating a bladeless, multi-directional, and disposable solution that uses filtered medical air, eliminating the need for electrical components and reducing infection risk.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If traditional fans are used to create air movement for cooling patients, then air circulation and cooling effect are improved, but the risk of spreading bacteria and pathogens increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the traditional fan blades from the system, extracting the harmful element that harbors and transmits pathogens. Instead of using a fan with blades that can accumulate and spread bacteria, the invention uses a bladeless design where air is delivered directly through a nozzle, eliminating the surface where pathogens could reside and be propelled into the air.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs pneumatic principles by using compressed medical-grade air delivered through a controlled pathway and nozzle system. The high-velocity air jet creates the cooling effect through direct impingement and induced airflow, replacing the mechanical rotation of fan blades with a pneumatic delivery system that minimizes pathogen transmission risk.
2Speed
If medical-grade air is delivered through a narrow pathway to increase velocity, then cooling effectiveness is improved, but air pressure loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the air delivery system by transitioning from a wide pathway to a narrow nozzle opening. This parameter change increases air velocity at the outlet while the system is designed to compensate for pressure loss through the use of available medical-grade air pressure and optimized pathway geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent addresses pressure-velocity tradeoff by introducing a multi-dimensional air delivery approach. The narrow pathway creates a high-velocity jet in one dimension, while the housing and outlet geometry control the spatial distribution of the air flow in multiple dimensions, optimizing both velocity and pressure utilization.
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 device effectively provides cooled air to patients while minimizing the risk of infection and air consumption, being portable, safe, and easy to sterilize, differentiating it from traditional cooling methods.
Implementation Method 1
A pathway extends through the housing between the inlet and the outlet and includes a first portion and a second portion. The first portion has a first diameter and the second portion has a second diameter less than the first diameter.
Data Source
AI summary
A pneumatic cooling device including a housing having a first end and a second end. A handle extends from an outer surface of the housing. An inlet is positioned at substantially the first end of the housing and is configured to receive a supply of medical grade air into the housing. An outlet is positioned at substantially the second end of the housing and is configured to deliver the supply of medical grade air outside of the housing. A pathway extends through the housing between the inlet and the outlet and is configured to passively move the supply of medical grade air between the inlet and the outlet.