This publication presents an innovative concept for the construction of a textile incubator. A literature study was conducted concerning care for premature babies at neonatology intensive care units. Based on the physiological requirements of preterm infants, a textile incubator model was designed and manufactured. The incubator presented is composed of several layers of material. The primary function of the incubator is to maintain thermal, sensory and humidity comfort, to cool the newborn in case of programmed therapeutic hypothermia, as well as to maintain hospital sterilisation. In the first stage of work on the textile incubator we were focused on problems of the production and maintenance of heat inside the product and cooling the newborn. The most important element of the incubator construction is the heating-cooling-moistening mat, the aim of which is to deliver or receive heat from the premature baby, and to maintain adequate environmental moisture. Because the construction of the humidification mechanism is quite complicated, it is not presented in this publication. The assumed extreme values of temperatures of the functional mat are in the following ranges: for additional heating-such as stationary incubators T max = 39 °C, with a precision of 1 °C; in the case of cooling in the medical hypothermia planned T min = 29 °C, with a precision of 1 °C. The mat was made in the form of a 3D structure of three-layer weft knitted fabric with channels, manufactured on a cylindrical rib-knitting machine, needle gauge E20. Technological and structural parameters of the three-layer knitted mat manufactured were defined. A test stand for the analysis of heat transfer of the heating mat was designed and constructed.

On the medical device market there are several types of stationary and portable incubators that can be used in the care of infants. The prototype of a textile incubator made as part of this work consists of five material layers. The textile incubator is equipped with a functional heating and cooling mat, which is made on the basis of 3D channeled weft-knitted fabric. Its function is to generate heat and maintain it inside the textile incubator or to cool the baby's body while using therapeutic hypothermia. The mat is equipped with hoses transporting the heating or cooling medium. The mat, depending on variable input parameters, can emit heat in the range from 1.15 W to 86.88 W. In case of the cooling function, it can receive heat in the range from −4.32 to −27.96 W. This indicates a large adjustment range of the amount of heat supplied and received, which is a positive feature, and enables programming the heat balance to ensure comfort for the baby. The analysis of temperature measurements on the mat surface confirmed that maximum temperature differences do not exceed 1.6°C.

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