Textile seal with silicone layer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current respiratory therapy devices, particularly for sleep disordered breathing, face challenges with comfort, compliance, and effectiveness due to poorly fitting masks that are aesthetically unappealing, uncomfortable, and difficult to use, leading to reduced patient adherence and suboptimal treatment outcomes.
Innovation Solution
A patient interface with a textile membrane seal-forming structure that is air impermeable, stretchy, and designed to maintain therapeutic pressure, featuring a textile material with a silicone layer and a flexible support structure to ensure a secure and comfortable fit, accommodating various facial shapes and sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a mask is designed to be secure and maintain therapeutic pressure, then sealing effectiveness is improved, but comfort and ease of use deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The mask is divided into distinct functional zones: a rigid circumferential support structure that maintains sealing geometry, and a separate soft textile membrane that contacts the patient's face. This segmentation allows the support structure to provide reliable sealing while the textile membrane ensures comfort, resolving the contradiction between sealing effectiveness and ease of use.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the mask have different material properties tailored to their specific functions. The circumferential support structure uses rigid materials for structural integrity and sealing, while the textile membrane uses soft, compliant materials for comfort. This local differentiation allows each region to optimize its performance for its specific purpose.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a mask is designed to fit various facial shapes and sizes, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The textile membrane is designed with elastic properties that allow it to dynamically adapt to different facial shapes and sizes. The membrane can stretch and conform to various contours while the rigid support structure maintains the overall sealing geometry. This dynamic adaptability achieves versatility without requiring multiple complex size variants.
Solution Approach 2:
The use of a flexible textile membrane as the face-contacting component allows the mask to accommodate various facial geometries. The thin, compliant film can conform to different shapes while the rigid support structure provides the necessary structural framework, achieving adaptability without excessive complexity.
3Ease of operation
If a mask uses stretchy material for comfort, then ease of use is improved, but maintaining therapeutic pressure becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The mask separates the comfort function (textile membrane) from the pressure maintenance function (rigid support structure). The stretchy textile membrane provides comfort and ease of use, while the rigid circumferential support structure ensures therapeutic pressure is maintained by preventing mask collapse and maintaining sealing geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The mask combines different material types in a composite structure: soft, elastic textile materials for comfort and rigid, structurally sound materials for pressure maintenance. This composite approach allows each material to excel at its specific function, resolving the contradiction between comfort and pressure maintenance.
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 solution enhances patient compliance and treatment efficacy by providing a comfortable, secure, and adaptable interface that maintains therapeutic pressure, reducing leaks and discomfort, thereby improving respiratory therapy outcomes.
Implementation Method 1
a textile membrane seal-forming structure that is air impermeable
Implementation Method 2
The textile material comprises 1) nylon and/or polyester, and 2) elastane; the textile membrane has stretchability
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 1C
AI summary
A patient interface comprises a cushion assembly including a textile membrane. The textile membrane includes an air impermeable silicone layer applied to a textile material. The textile material comprises 1) nylon and/or polyester, and 2) elastane. A yarn count of the nylon and/or polyester is in a range of 20-80 denier, and the textile material has stretchability in both a direction of the wales and a direction of the course.