3D modeled visualisation of a patient interface device fitted to a patient's face

1. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a display generation unit configured to generate a display area in a user interface, the display area being configured to display a 3-D model of a patient's face and a 3-D model of a patient interface device fitted to the 3-D model of the patient's face;

a transparency adjustment unit configured to generate a transparency adjustment tool in the user interface, the transparency adjustment tool being operable to adjust the transparency of a subset of components of the 3-D model of the patient interface device displayed in the display area of the user interface; and

an interaction map unit configured to generate an interaction map tool in the user interface and to calculate an interaction map between the patient's face and the patient interface device indicating levels of contact pressures between the patient's face and the patient interface device, wherein the interaction map tool is operable to toggle display of the interaction map in the user interface, and wherein the interaction map unit is configured to adjust transparency values of at least a portion or the 3-D model to one or more predetermined values in response to displaying the interaction map in the user interface.

2. The electronic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the subset of components of the 3-D model of the patient interface device is a subset of components of the 3-D model of the patient interface device that do not contact the 3-D model of the patient's face.

3. The electronic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the components of the 3-D model of the patient interface device include a cushion, and the subset of components of the 3-D model of the patient interface device are components of the 3-D model of the patient interface device other than the cushion.

4. The electronic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the components of the 3-D model of the patient interface device include a cushion and a forehead cushion, and the subset of components of the 3-D model of the patient interface device are components of the 3-D model of the patient interface device other than the cushion and the forehead cushion.

5. The electronic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the transparency adjustment tool is a slider bar.

6. The electronic apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the transparency adjustment unit is configured to adjust the transparency of the subset of components of the 3-D model of the patient interface device in proportion with adjustment of the transparency adjustment tool in the user interface.

7. The electronic apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a display unit configured to display the user interface.

8. Use of the electronic apparatus according to claim 1 for manufacturing a patient interface device for a patient, for determining the shape of a patient interface device for the patient and/or for selecting a patient interface device suitable for the patient from a predetermined set of patient interface devices.

9. The electronic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the interaction map conforms to the shape of the 3-D model of the patient's face.

10. The electronic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein points on the interaction map are color coded to indicate different levels of interaction between the patient interface device and the patient's face.

11. The electronic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein points on the interaction map have transparency values adjusted to indicate different levels of interaction between the patient interface device and the patient's face.

12. The electronic apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the interaction map unit is configured to make components of the 3-D model of the patient interface device that do not contact the 3-D model of the patient's face transparent when the interaction map is displayed in the user interface, and

wherein the interaction map unit is configured to make components of the 3-D model of the patient interface device that contact the 3-D model of the patient's face semi-transparent when the interaction map is displayed in the user interface.

13. A method of selecting a patient interface device, the method comprising:

generating a display area in a user interface, the display area being configured to display a 3-D model of a patient's face and a 3-D model of a patient interface device fitted to the 3-D model of the patient's face;

generating a transparency adjustment tool in the user interface, the transparency adjustment tool being operable to adjust the transparency of a subset of components of the 3-D model of the patient interface device displayed in the display area of the user interface,

generating an interaction map tool in the user interface, wherein the interaction map tool is operable to toggle display of the interaction map in the user interface;

calculating an interaction map between the patient's face and the patient interface device indicating levels of contact pressures between the patient's face and the patient interface device and adjusting transparency values of at least a portion or the 3-D model of the patient interface device to one or more predetermined values in response to displaying the interaction map in the user interface.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the subset of components of the 3-D model of the patient interface device are components of the 3-D model of the patient interface device that do not contact the 3-D model of the patient's face.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the components of the 3-D model of the patient interface device include a cushion, and the subset of components of the 3-D model of the patient interface device are components of the 3-D model of the patient interface device other than the cushion.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the components of the 3-D model of the patient interface device include a cushion and a forehead cushion, and the subset of components of the 3-D model of the patient interface device are components of the 3-D model of the patient interface device other than the cushion and the forehead cushion.

17. The method of claim 13 , wherein the transparency adjustment tool is a slider bar.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing one or more programs, including instructions, which when executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform a method comprising:

generating a display area in a user interface, the display area being configured to display a 3-D model of a patient's face and a 3-D model of a patient interface device fitted to the 3-D model of the patient's face;

generating a transparency adjustment tool in the user interface, the transparency adjustment tool being operable to adjust the transparency of a subset of components of the 3-D model of the patient interface device displayed in the display area of the user interface;

generating an interaction map tool in the user interface, wherein the interaction map tool is operable to toggle display of the interaction map in the user interface; and

calculating an interaction map between the patient's face and the patient interface device indicating levels of contact pressures between the patient's face and the patient interface device and adjusting transparency values of at least a portion or the 3-D model of the patient interface device to one or more predetermined values in response to displaying the interaction map in the user interface.

19. The method of claim 13 , further comprising the steps of:

creating the 3-D model of the patient's face;

creating 3-D models of each of the plurality of patient interface devices;

providing the 3-D model of the patient's face to a patient interface device selection system;

providing the one or more of 3-D models of the patient interface devices to the user interface;

displaying the 3-D model of the patient's face with one or more of the 3-D models of the patient interface devices fitted thereon in the display area;

adjusting transparency of a subset of components of the displayed 3-D model of the patient interface device; and

selecting one of the patient interface devices.