Rotary Inflation Valve for Selective Brace Cell Compression
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional orthopedic braces with inflatable components often require external pumps, which are bulky, inconvenient, and can be lost, and lack the ability to provide customized compression across different areas of the body.
Innovation Solution
An orthopedic brace with an on-board pump and valve system that allows users to selectively inflate or deflate individual inflatable cells, enabling customized compression by rotating a control dial to create specific fluid paths between the pump and each cell.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If an external pump is connected to the brace, then the user can inflate and deflate the brace pads, but the pump becomes a bulky extra component that impairs the wearability of the brace
Solution Approach 1:
The pump is integrated into the brace structure itself, merging two previously separate components (pump and brace) into a single unified device. This eliminates the need for an external pump while maintaining inflation/deflation functionality, thereby improving wearability without sacrificing operational capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The brace structure is designed to serve multiple functions: it provides structural support, cushioning, and houses the pump mechanism. This multi-functionality allows the brace to incorporate the pump without significantly increasing its overall volume, resolving the contradiction between operational capability and wearability.
2Device complexity
If a single pump and valve are used to inflate or deflate the inflatable cells, then the structure is simplified, but the user cannot independently control the pressures in different inflatable cells
Solution Approach 1:
The single valve is divided into multiple independent valves, each controlling a specific inflatable cell. This segmentation allows the user to independently adjust the pressure in each cell to provide customized compression for different body areas, while each individual valve remains relatively simple in structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Each inflatable cell is equipped with its own valve and control mechanism, allowing localized adjustment of compression pressure. This enables different parts of the brace to have different pressure levels tailored to specific anatomical regions or injury sites, providing adaptability without requiring a complex centralized control system.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple pumps are connected to the valves or a single pump is moved from valve to valve, then the user can independently control individual cells, but the pumps are inconvenient to handle and can be easily lost
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple pump functions are integrated into a single stationary pump unit that is permanently attached to the brace. This eliminates the need to move or detach pumps between different valves, as the single integrated pump can service all inflatable cells through the segmented valve system. The pump remains with the brace at all times, preventing loss and improving convenience.
4Adaptability or versatility
If a rotatable dial control is used to direct fluid flow to different outlet ports, then the user can selectively inflate individual cells, but the valve structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
A rotatable dial mechanism is used to dynamically switch between different outlet ports. The dial can be rotated to align internal fluid passages with different outlet ports, enabling selective inflation of individual cells. This dynamic switching mechanism is more space-efficient and less complex than providing separate static valves for each cell, as it uses a single movable component to achieve multiple routing configurations.
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 system provides customizable compression, reduces the need for external pumps, and minimizes the risk of losing inflation components, enhancing user convenience and comfort.
Implementation Method 1
A pump is provided that forces air through a control into selected ones of the inflatable cells
Implementation Method 2
A valve is provided having an inlet port, a plurality of outlet ports and a rotatable control
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
Systems, methods, and devices are described for providing a fluid control means for an inflation system. The control directs fluid flow from an inlet to one or more outlets of the control. The outlets are independently connected in fluid communication with the inlet by through the control. The control allows a user to create a fluid path between the inlet and a selected outlet by positioning the control in an orientation corresponding to the desired outlet. Each outlet is independently connected in fluid communication with the inlet in various orientations of the control.