Self-Inflating Air Mattress Zoning for Pressure Ulcer Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Individuals with limited mobility often experience high point pressure contact at bony prominences due to prolonged immobility, leading to reduced blood flow and skin breakdown, which can result in decubitus ulcers, and existing inflatable mattresses may not adequately distribute weight to prevent these issues.
Innovation Solution
A self-inflating mattress with a plurality of air cells featuring low air permeability envelopes and foam inflation structures that expand when unloaded, creating varying air volumes and pressures across different zones, utilizing check valves for controlled air flow to simulate the pressure profile of a conventional low air loss mattress and optionally support alternating pressure therapy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional inflatable mattresses are used, then weight distribution is improved, but they require external tools for inflation and lack automated pressure regulation
Solution Approach 1:
The mattress incorporates self-inflating cells with foam cores that automatically expand to inflate the air chambers without external tools. The foam material serves both as structural support and as the inflation mechanism, eliminating the need for manual pumping or external air sources.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention combines the foam core and air chamber into a single integrated cell structure. The foam-inflated cells merge the support function and inflation function into one component, reducing device complexity while enabling automated operation.
2Reliability
If air permeability is increased to allow pressure equalization, then comfort is improved, but air loss increases requiring continuous air supply
Solution Approach 1:
The mattress employs different cell types with different air permeability characteristics in different zones. Low air loss cells with controlled permeability are used in areas requiring pressure maintenance, while other cells may have different properties optimized for their specific functional requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the air permeability parameter of the envelope material to achieve optimal balance between pressure equalization and air retention. By carefully selecting materials with specific permeability characteristics, the mattress maintains pressure reliability while minimizing air loss.
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 mattress effectively distributes pressure to reduce the risk of decubitus ulcers by maintaining optimal air volumes and pressures across zones, providing comfort and support similar to conventional low air loss mattresses while allowing for automated inflation and optional alternating pressure therapy without external tools.
Implementation Method 1
The foam inflation structures expand when unloaded to cause inflation of the one or more voids
Implementation Method 2
Each cell has a low air permeability envelope
Implementation Method 3
The mattress also includes a plurality of check valves, and each zone has a check valve that permits air flow into the air cells in the zone and prevents air flow from the air cells in the zone
Data Source
AI summary
A mattress includes a plurality of air cells. Each cell has a low air permeability envelope and a foam inflation structure that defines one or more voids inside the low air permeability envelope. The foam inflation structures expand when unloaded to cause inflation of the one or more voids. When unloaded, the ratio of the volume of the foam inflation structure to the volume of the one or more voids within the low air permeability envelope is not the same in all the cells.