SLEEP RESPIRATORY DISORDER EXAMINATION APPARATUS AND METHOD THEREOF

• US 20130144182A1
• Filed: 07/27/2012
• Published: 06/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: JEONG, Ji Wook, Jang, YongWon, Lee, Sooyeul, Kim, Seunghwan, Noh, Hyung Wook
• Application Number:
  US13/560,601
• Publication Number:
  US 20130144182A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/534
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/113 occurring during breathing
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4818 Sleep apnoea

Abstract

Disclosed is a sleep respiratory disorder examining device which includes a measurement unit which includes at least one conductive fiber and measures a resistance variation in the conductive fiber, a length of the conductive fiber being varied according to movement of a user; and a signal processor which analyzes a sleeping state of the user based on a resistance variation measured by the measurement unit.

Claims

1. A sleep respiratory disorder examining device comprising:

a measurement unit which includes at least one conductive fiber and measures a resistance variation in the conductive fiber, a length of the conductive fiber being varied according to movement of a user; and

a signal processor which analyzes a sleeping state of the user based on the resistance variation measured by the measurement unit.

2. The sleep respiratory disorder examining device of claim 1, further comprising:

a display unit which displays the sleeping state analyzed by the signal processor.

3. The sleep respiratory disorder examining device of claim 2, wherein the display unit includes a liquid crystal screen which displays the sleeping state analyzed by the signal processor in real time.

4. The sleep respiratory disorder examining device of claim 2, wherein the display unit includes a speaker which generates an alarm indicating an abnormal state analyzed by the signal processor in real time.

5. The sleep respiratory disorder examining device of claim 1, further comprising:

a transmitter which sends the sleeping state analyzed by the signal processor to an external device.

6. The sleep respiratory disorder examining device of claim 1, wherein the signal processor comprises:

a voltage converting unit which converts a resistance variation measured by the measurement unit into a voltage;

an analog-to-digital converting unit which converts a voltage measured by the voltage converting unit into a digital value; and

a signal computing unit which analyzes a sleeping state of the user based on a digital value converted by the analog-to-digital converting unit.

7. The sleep respiratory disorder examining device of claim 6, wherein the voltage converting unit includes at least one voltage divider, the voltage divider including a reference resistor and a variable resistor.

8. The sleep respiratory disorder examining device of claim 6, wherein the analog-to-digital converting unit includes at least one analog-to-digital converting module and digitizes a voltage measured by the voltage converting unit into a multi-bit digital value through the at least one analog-to-digital converting module.

9. The sleep respiratory disorder examining device of claim 6, wherein the signal computing unit filters a digital value converted by the analog-to-digital converting unit to extract a breathing signal band.

10. The sleep respiratory disorder examining device of claim 6, wherein a sleeping state analyzed by the signal computing unit includes a variation in a breathing rate.

11. The sleep respiratory disorder examining device of claim 6, wherein a sleeping state analyzed by the signal computing unit includes an apnea state.

12. The sleep respiratory disorder examining device of claim 6, wherein a sleeping state analyzed by the signal computing unit includes a periodic limb movement disorder.

13. The sleep respiratory disorder examining device of claim 1, wherein the measurement unit is inserted in a matrix.

14. The sleep respiratory disorder examining device of claim 1, wherein the measurement unit is inserted in a pillow.

15. The sleep respiratory disorder examining device of claim 1, wherein the measurement unit is attached to bedclothes.

16. The sleep respiratory disorder examining device of claim 1, wherein the measurement unit has a band shape to be attached to a user.

17. A sleep respiratory disorder examining method comprising:

measuring a resistance variation in a conductive fiber due to movement of a body of a user;

converting the measured resistance variation into a voltage;

digitizing the voltage into a digital value;

analyzing a bio-signal based on the digitized digital value; and

displaying the analyzed bio-signal through a display unit and transmitting the analyzed bio-signal to an external device.