Abstract
Air mattress is now used widely to prevent the pressure ulcer by reducing the localized pressure peaks. The pressure control method based on the anthrophometric model of an air-cell mattress developed in this study is presented. The air-cell mattress has 18 cylindrical air cells made of porous material allowing air leakage. Even though the air leakage can contribute to reducing the development of pressure ulcer by lowering the pressure peak, temperature and humidity, the air pressure changes with time and the desired air-cell pressure has to be determined as an optimal value for each user. To select the desired air-cell pressure, we first divide the parts of the body into four sections such as head, trunk, hip, and leg. Then, the pressure of each section grouped with air-cells is calculated from the weight of each part estimated from the individual height and body weight. Air supply system for the air-cell mattress is implemented by using four electronic solenoid valves and an air compressor, and it is driven by a real-time microcontroller. We experimented with five subjects of the contact pressure on skin. The experimental results show that the proposed air-cell mattress is effective for the prevention of the pressure ulcer.
