Research and Development of Next Generation Air Cushion Smart System for Pressure Ulcer
Date Issued
2015
Date
2015
Author(s)
Tsai, Tsung-Heng
Abstract
The purpose of this thesis is to develop the Next Generational Air Cushion Smart System for preventing Pressure Ulcer. The goal is to solve the general problem of pressure ulcer for paralyzed patients, such as patients with spinal cord injury. Pressure ulcer is the issue that has existed for a long time. It not only brings physical and financial problems to patients themselves and their families, but also becomes a big challenge for medical professionals and even the whole medical system are affected. Thus, it is important to find a solution for preventing pressure ulcer. In order to design a smart system that can prevent pressure ulcer effectively, firstly, this study investigated the causes of pressure ulcer. We also summarized the previous researches and current commercialized products. Secondly, we identified a suitable solution based on the causes and disease process of pressure ulcer. Finally, we built a prototype of smart system based on an air cushion array for pressure ulcer. Material selection, fabrication of metal molds and thermoforming process, hardware implementation, circuit design as well as integration of hardware and software mechatronics were developed in this study. Three major functions of our smart system were developed and investigated, including: automatic adjustment of appropriate pressure, adjustment of the posture, and weight measurement. This study controls inflated and deflated actions of individual gasbag array to release the pressure of partial buttock by using an open access controller: Arduino. We defined inflated and deflated actions to adjust appropriate pressure and the posture by using pressure sensors to detect the pressure in each individual gasbag actively. At the same time, we calculate the average pressure and convert it into weight information.
Subjects
Pressure ulcer
thermoforming
mechatronics
pressure sensor
Type
thesis
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