TY - GEN
T1 - A pressure distribution measurement system for supporting areas of wheelchair users
AU - Arias, Sandra
AU - Cardiel, Eladio
AU - Garay, Laura
AU - Tovar, Blanca
AU - Pla, Michele
AU - Rogeli, Pablo
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - Pressure ulcers are skin injuries caused by long term exposition to high pressures on support points that interrupt blood circulation reducing the transport of oxygen and nutrients to the cells. They mainly affect people with poor mobility that stay in seating position for long periods of time. In spite of the diversity of commercial prototypes of cushions, ulcers caused by pressure are still a problem for wheelchair users. This work describes the design of a measurement system of pressure distribution in sedentary position. The aim of the system is to record the pressure concentration in order to obtain specific information about the supporting areas, and with these data used as feedback, eventually to determine an efficient random stimulation sequence to provide, in the future, a system to prevent these referred injuries. The proposed system consists of a 12 air-cell division cushion. Each cell has a pressure sensor and an input for electro valves to inflate and deflate. The recording and control of the valves is carried out through a graphical interface designed in LabVIEW®. A calibration procedure for the designed cushion was made by comparing the greatest load values pressure with a commercial platform, similar results were obtained.
AB - Pressure ulcers are skin injuries caused by long term exposition to high pressures on support points that interrupt blood circulation reducing the transport of oxygen and nutrients to the cells. They mainly affect people with poor mobility that stay in seating position for long periods of time. In spite of the diversity of commercial prototypes of cushions, ulcers caused by pressure are still a problem for wheelchair users. This work describes the design of a measurement system of pressure distribution in sedentary position. The aim of the system is to record the pressure concentration in order to obtain specific information about the supporting areas, and with these data used as feedback, eventually to determine an efficient random stimulation sequence to provide, in the future, a system to prevent these referred injuries. The proposed system consists of a 12 air-cell division cushion. Each cell has a pressure sensor and an input for electro valves to inflate and deflate. The recording and control of the valves is carried out through a graphical interface designed in LabVIEW®. A calibration procedure for the designed cushion was made by comparing the greatest load values pressure with a commercial platform, similar results were obtained.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84886496282&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1109/EMBC.2013.6610609
DO - 10.1109/EMBC.2013.6610609
M3 - Contribución a la conferencia
C2 - 24110796
AN - SCOPUS:84886496282
SN - 9781457702167
T3 - Proceedings of the Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBS
SP - 4751
EP - 4754
BT - 2013 35th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBC 2013
T2 - 2013 35th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, EMBC 2013
Y2 - 3 July 2013 through 7 July 2013
ER -