SYSTEM AND METHOD TO MONITOR, GUIDE, AND EVALUATE BREATHING, UTILIZING POSTURE AND DIAPHRAGM SENSOR SIGNALS

• US 20150342518A1
• Filed: 05/07/2015
• Published: 12/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Prana Tech LLC
• Original Assignee: Prana Tech LLC
• Inventors: Persidsky, Andre Maxim, Ahlund, Robin Alexander
• Application Number:
  US14/706,939
• Publication Number:
  US 20150342518A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0223 of calibration, e.g. protocols for calibrating sensors
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/08 Detecting, measuring or recording devices for evaluating the respiratory organs A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0816 Measuring devices for examining respiratory frequency measuring frequency of electric signals G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1116 Determining posture transitions
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1135 by monitoring thoracic expansion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/486 Bio-feedback A61B5/375 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6823 Trunk, e.g., chest, back, abdomen, hip
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6831 Straps, bands or harnesses
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/743 Displaying an image simultaneously with additional graphical information, e.g. symbols, charts, function plots

Abstract

A system and method to monitor, guide, and evaluate breathing, with respect to user definable breathing patterns, sequences, and preexisting breathing exercises, utilizing posture and diaphragm sensor signals and a method to process thereof, composed of hardware and software components. The application describes a system which monitors the output signals of sensors as part of a breath training device worn by a user for measuring the state of a user'"'"'s posture and diaphragm to derive a filtered breath signal. This is obtained using one or more sensors, a microcontroller to receive, process, and transmit sensor signal data, a breath training program which receives, calibrates, interprets, evaluates, and provides feedback on said sensor signal data, utilizing a set of breathing algorithms. The breath training program allows defining a breath pattern by specifying its parameters such as inhalation time, retention, inhalation depth, exhalation time, and constraints on such parameters, and to monitor and evaluate a user'"'"'s breathing with respect to such a pattern, providing several visually guided feedback methods such as a graph on a timeline displaying evaluation indicators during each phase of a breath, or a game where the user guides a breath level game element through inhalation and exhalation zones to adhere to such a breath pattern.

Claims

1. A method of computing a filtered breath signal for a type 4 BTD, comprising the steps of:

a) Initially measuring a belly angle range between upright and slouched posture positions of a user, based on the inclination reading of an angle sensor worn near the waistband, belly, or chest area,

b) Computing a relative diaphragm position based on the real-time measured current belly angle of a user within said measured belly angle range, based on the inclination reading of an angle sensor worn near the waistband, belly, or chest area,

c) Setting a relative posture position equal to said relative diaphragm position when the results of a normalization test for a type 4 BTD are true,

d) Subtracting said relative posture position from said relative diaphragm position to compute said filtered breath signal,

e) Repeating steps b to d.