GARMENT FOR DETECTING RESPIRATORY MOVEMENT

• US 20100286546A1
• Filed: 11/04/2008
• Published: 11/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forsching E.V.
• Original Assignee: Fraunhofer Gesellschaft Zur Foerderung Der Angewandten Forsching E.V.
• Inventors: Weigand, Christian, Tobola, Andreas
• Application Number:
  US12/742,260
• Publication Number:
  US 20100286546A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/534
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0002 Remote monitoring of patients using telemetry, e.g. transmission of vital signals via a communication network A61B5/07 takes precedence; transmission systems for measured values G08C; transmission H04B; transmission of digital information H04L; wireless communication networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0803 Recording apparatus specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1135 by monitoring thoracic expansion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6805 Vests

Abstract

A garment for detecting respiratory movement of a living being, wherein the garment can be pulled over the thorax of the living being, including an electric conductor integrable at the height of the thorax of the living being into the garment, which is attached to the garment in order to change an electrically measurable characteristic in dependence on the respiratory movement of the thorax, and a holder for fixing evaluation electronics integrable into the garment, which can be coupled to the electric conductor and which is implemented to detect the electrically measurable characteristic and which further includes an interface for outputting or storing data derived from the electrically measurable characteristic.

Claims

1-13. -13. (canceled)

14. Garment for detecting respiratory movement of a living being, wherein the garment can be pulled over the thorax of the living being, comprising:

a straight electric conductor, which is integrable into the garment at the height of the thorax of the living being, which is attached to the garment in order to change an inductance of the electric conductor in dependence on the respiratory movement of the thorax, wherein the electric conductor is an elastic electrically conductive fiber, which can expand in dependence on the respiratory movement and thereby experiences a change of the inductance when the garment is pulled over the thorax of the living being; and

a holder for fixing evaluation electronics, which is integrable into the garment; and

the integrable evaluation electronics, which can be coupled to the elastic electrically conductive fiber and is implemented to detect a change in inductance of the elastic electrically conductive fiber and further comprises an interface for outputting or storing the data derived from the inductance.

15. Garment according to claim 14, wherein the integrable evaluation electronics is implemented such that the inductance of the elastic electrically conductive fiber variable with the respiratory movement forms an inductance of an LC parallel resonant circuit, which is part of a Colpitts oscillator circuit, wherein the Colpitts oscillator circuit is within the integrable evaluation electronics.

16. Garment according to claim 15, wherein the integrable evaluation electronics comprises a frequency counter for detecting a frequency of the Colpitts oscillator circuit varying due to the respiratory movement.

17. Garment according to claim 14, wherein the electric conductor is integrated into the garment such that an area surrounded by the elastic electrically conductive fiber is dependent on the respiratory movement when the garment is pulled over the thorax of the living being.

18. Garment according to claim 14, wherein the evaluation electronics is fixed in the holder such that the evaluation electronics is part of the garment, wherein the evaluation electronics is implemented in a watertight manner.

19. Garment according to claim 14, wherein the integrable evaluation electronics comprises a wireless interface for radio communication.

20. Garment according to claim 14, wherein a fabric of the garment is elastic for allowing tight application of the electric conductor to the torso of the living being.

21. Garment according to claim 14, wherein the garment can additionally be pulled over the abdomen of the living being and comprises a further electric conductor at the height of the abdomen of the living being, which is attached to the garment in order to change an electrically measurable characteristic in dependence on the respiratory movement of the abdomen and wherein the further electric conductor can be coupled to the integrable evaluation electronics.

22. Usage of a garment for detecting respiratory movement of a living being, wherein the garment can be pulled over the thorax of the living being, the garment comprising:

a straight electric conductor, which is integrable into the garment at the height of the thorax of the living being, which is attached to the garment in order to change an inductance of the electric conductor in dependence on the respiratory movement of the thorax, wherein the electric conductor is an elastic electrically conductive fiber, which can expand in dependence on the respiratory movement and thereby experiences a change of the inductance when the garment is pulled over the thorax of the living being; and

a holder for fixing evaluation electronics, which is integrable into the garment; and

the integrable evaluation electronics, which can be coupled to the elastic electrically conductive fiber and is implemented to detect a change in inductance of the elastic electrically conductive fiber and further comprises an interface for outputting or storing the data derived from the inductance,

wherein the integrable evaluation electronics is fixed to the garment by means of the holder, wherein the integrable evaluation electronics is coupled to the elastic electrically conductive fiber for detecting the change in inductance of the elastic electrically conductive fiber.

23. Method for producing a garment for detecting respiratory movement of a living being, wherein the garment can be pulled over the thorax of the living being, comprising:

integrating an elastic electrically conductive fiber into the garment, such that the elastic electrically conductive fiber can expand in dependence on the respiratory movement of the thorax when the garment is pulled over the thorax of the living being and thereby experiences change of an inductance of the elastic electrically conductive fiber; and

attaching a holder to the garment for fixing evaluation electronics integrable into the garment; and

providing the integrable evaluation electronics, which can be coupled to the elastic electrically conductive fiber and which is implemented to detect a change in inductance of the elastic electrically conductive fiber and which further comprises an interface for outputting or storing data derived from the inductance.