Intelligent compression wrap
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
InventorLewis Tyson Ross
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An intelligent compression device for controllable compression. The compression device includes a compressible body and a microprocessor. The compressible body encircles a limb of a user and includes an elastomer layer and an activation layer. The elastomer layer includes voxelated liquid crystal elastomers that contract in response to a stimulus. The activation element, which is positioned proximate to the elastomer layer, supplies the stimulus. The microprocessor actuates at least a portion of the activation element layer.
Claims18
A method of using a compression device having a compressible body configured to encircle a limb of a user and comprising an elastomer layer, an activation element layer, the elastomer layer comprising a plurality of voxelated liquid crystal elastomers configured to contract in response to a stimulus thereby tensioning the compressible body about the limb of the user, and the activation element layer configured to supply the stimulus, the method comprising:
- encircling the limb of a user with the compression device;
- activating the activation element layer at a first level to supply the stimulus and contracting the elastomer layer;
- determining an applied pressure level;
- and
- in response to the determination, adjusting the activation of the activation element layer to a second level if the determined applied pressure level is above a threshold or adjusting the activation of the activation element layer to a third level if the determined applied pressure level is below a threshold,
- wherein the second level is less than the third level.
A compression device for applying controllable compression to a limb of a user, the compression device comprising:
- a compressible body configured to encircle the limb of the user and comprising an elastomer layer comprising a plurality of bands comprising electro active polymers configured to contract in response to a stimulus, such contraction configured to tension the compressible body about the limb of the user;
- and
- an energy supply configured to supply an electrical stimulus to actuate at least a portion of the elastomer layer,
- wherein the elastomer layer includes a plurality of voxelated liquid crystal elastomers configured to contract in response to the electrical stimulus.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.