Wearable Compression Therapy Pneumatic Engine Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional compression therapy devices are limited by the need for tubing, which can cause accidents and restrict mobility, and often require tethering to a power source or external devices, making them inconvenient for ambulatory use.
Innovation Solution
A wearable compression therapy system with integrated pneumatic engines and inflatable chambers, controlled by a wireless interface and mobile device, allowing for untethered operation, adaptive therapy schedules, and automatic airflow management, reducing the form factor and promoting user mobility and compliance with therapy regimes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional compression therapy devices use tubing to deliver compression, then compression therapy can be provided, but user mobility is restricted and accidents may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the tubing component from the compression therapy system. The pneumatic engine is integrated directly into the wearable garment, eliminating the need for external tubing that connects a remote pump to the compression chambers. This extraction of the harmful element (tubing) resolves the contradiction by maintaining safety while enabling full user mobility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the pneumatic engine, control system, and compression chambers into a single integrated wearable unit. The pump, valves, and chambers are merged into one compact system worn by the user, eliminating the need for separate components connected by tubing. This merging resolves the mobility restriction problem while maintaining therapeutic function.
2Duration of action of stationary object
If conventional compression therapy devices are tethered to a power source, then continuous operation is possible, but user convenience and mobility are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the power source from the main compression system by using a rechargeable battery integrated into the wearable garment. This allows the system to operate independently without being tethered to an external power source, resolving the contradiction between continuous operation and user convenience.
Solution Approach 2:
The wearable compression device includes an integrated power source that enables it to operate autonomously without external tethering. The system serves itself by containing all necessary components (pump, power source, control) within the wearable unit, allowing users to move freely while maintaining continuous operation capability.
3Ease of operation
If a wearable compression device includes integrated pneumatic engine and wireless control, then user mobility is enhanced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controller is designed to perform multiple functions: it controls the pneumatic pump, manages wireless communication with mobile devices, monitors therapy parameters, and coordinates inflation/deflation cycles. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated components, managing device complexity while enabling enhanced mobility features.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical control interfaces (physical buttons, switches) with wireless electronic control through mobile devices. This substitution reduces the mechanical complexity of the user interface while maintaining full control capabilities, allowing enhanced mobility without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.
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 enhances user mobility and compliance with therapy, reduces recovery times, and improves patient outcomes by providing ambulatory compression therapy while minimizing inconvenience and the risk of accidents.
Implementation Method 1
A wearable compression device may include a controller and a pneumatic pump in communication with one or more compression chambers
Implementation Method 2
The pneumatic pump may be in communication with a plurality of valves that control a flow of air from the pneumatic pump to the compression chambers
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus and associated methods relate to a wearable compression therapy system for ambulatory therapy, the system including a wearable garment having one or more inflatable chambers, and a pneumatic engine locally coupled to the garment to provide control and inflation of the one or more inflatable chambers. In an illustrative embodiment, the pneumatic engine may control a pump and one or more valves to inflate the inflatable chambers. The valves and pump may be coordinated according to a pre-programmed profile. In some embodiments, the pneumatic engine may have a wireless interface configured to receive control signals from a remote mobile device untethered from the garment. The pneumatic engine may send to the remote mobile device signals indicative of sensed conditions of the compression therapy system. In some embodiments, the pneumatic engine may include a power source that advantageously permits the user to be untethered from a source of power.