Apparatus and methods for indicating respiratory phases to improve speech/breathing synchronization

• US 6,561,987 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2001
• Issued: 05/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/02/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Opher Pail
• Original Assignee: Opher Pail
• Inventors: Pail, Opher
• Primary Examiner(s): Nasser, Robert L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mallari, Patricia C.
• Application Number:
  US09/828,815
• Publication Number:
  US 20020123692A1
• Time in Patent Office: 763 Days
• Field of Search: 600/529, 600/534
• US Class Current: 600/534
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1135 by monitoring thoracic expansion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7455 characterised by tactile indication, e.g. vibration or electrical stimulation
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 23/185 Rhythm indicators

Abstract

An indicating apparatus includes a strap for being worn by a user and having a variable condition that changes during the inspiration and expiration phases, respectively, of a respiratory cycle of the user. The strap has a sensor that senses the variable condition and generates electrical output indicative of the variable condition during the inspiration and expiration phases. A signaling device of the indicating apparatus produces a tactile vocalization signal in response to the electrical output that is generated during the expiration phase and produces a tactile pause signal in response to the electrical output that is generated during the inspiration phase. The vocalization and pause signals prompt the user, over a plurality of respiratory cycles, to properly synchronize speaking with the expiration phases and pauses in speaking with the inspiration phases. A method of indicating respiratory phases involves sensing a variable condition of a strap worn by a user, generating electrical output indicative of the variable condition during inspiration and expiration, and producing tactile signals for the user indicative of inspiration and expiration, respectively.

Claims

1. An indicating apparatus for indicating phases of a respiratory cycle of a user to aid in self-synchronization of speech and respiration, said apparatus comprising:

a strap adapted to be secured around the chest or abdomen of the user, said strap having a variable condition that changes as the user inhales air during inspiration phases of the respiratory cycle and as the user exhales air during expiration phases of the respiratory cycle, said strap including a sensor sensing said variable condition during the respiratory cycle said sensor generating electrical output indicative of said variable condition during the inspiration phases and during the expiration phases; and

a signaling device carried by said strap and operating in response to said electrical output, said signaling device, responsive to said electrical output indicating that the respiration cycle of the user is currently in the inspiration phase, producing a first tactilely sensible condition that can be felt by the user indicative of the inspiration phase, and said signaling device, responsive to said electrical output indicating that the respiration cycle of the user is currently in the expiration phase, producing a second tactilely sensible condition that can be felt by the user indicative of the expiration phase, said second tactilely sensible condition being tactilely distinguishable from said first tactilely sensible condition.

2. The indicating apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said strap has opposing free ends and further including fasteners on said free ends by which said strap is adjustably secured around the chest or abdomen of the user.

3. The indicating apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said sensor includes a piezoelectric film element.

4. The indicating apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said sensor includes a spring-loaded mechanism.

5. The indicating apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said sensor includes a resistive flexible member.

6. The indicating apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said variable condition is tension in said strap.

7. The indicating apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said electrical output is digital electrical output.

8. The indicating apparatus as recited in claim 7 wherein said digital electrical output includes a first digital command signal generated by said sensor during the inspiration phase and a second digital command signal generated by said sensor during the expiration phase, the tactilely sensible conditions of said signaling device being activation and deactivation of a tactile stimulus that can be felt by the user, said signaling device being deactivated in response to said first digital command signal and being activated in response to said second digital command signal.

9. The indicating apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said electrical output is electrical output indicating a varying magnitude of the variable condition.

10. The indicating apparatus as recited in claim 9 and further including a processor carried by said strap, said processor processing said electrical output to determine whether the user is in the inspiration phase or the expiration phase, said processor generating a first digital command signal in response to a determination that the user is inhaling and generating a second digital command signal in response to a determination that the user is exhaling, said signaling device producing the first tactilely sensible condition in response to said first digital command signal and producing the second tactilely sensible condition in response to said second digital command signal.

11. The indicating apparatus as recited in claim 1 and further including a power supply mounted on said strap for supplying electric power to said signaling device.

12. The indicating apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said signaling device includes a vibratory motor, one of said first or second tactilely sensible conditions is the absence of a perceptible vibration emanating from said motor and the other of said first or second tactilely sensible conditions is a perceptible vibration emanating from said motor.

13. The indicating apparatus as recited in claim 12 wherein said first tactilely sensible condition is the absence of the perceptible vibration emanating from said motor and said second tactilely sensible condition is the perceptible vibration emanating from said motor.

14. The indicating apparatus as recited in claim 1 and further including a control unit on said strap for selectively controlling operational parameters of said indicating apparatus.

15. An indicating apparatus aiding in self-synchronization of speech and respiration in a user, said apparatus comprising

a stretchable strap for being secured around the chest or abdomen of the user, said strap expanding linearly in response to expansion of the chest or abdomen when the user inhales air during respiration and contracting linearly in response to contraction of the chest or abdomen when the user exhales air during respiration, said strap having a sensor sensing linear expansions and contractions of said strap, said sensor producing time-varying electrical output indicative of the sensed linear expansions and contractions;

a processor carried by said strap, said processor processing said electrical output to generate a first command signal when said electrical output indicates that said strap is currently expanding and a second command signal when said electrical output indicates that said strap is currently contracting; and

a vibrating device carried by said strap and operating responsive to said first and second command signals, said vibrating device operating responsive to said first command signal so as to produce a tactilely perceptible pause signal prompting the user to pause from speaking, said vibrating device operating responsive to said second command signal to produce a tactilely perceptible vocalization signal prompting the user to speak.

16. The indicating apparatus as recited in claim 15 wherein said processor includes a central processing unit, memory and a timer.

17. The indicating apparatus of claim 15, wherein said vibrating device selectively produces vibration that can be felt by the user, and wherein one of said vocalization and pause signals is a presence of the vibration, and the other of said vocalization and pause signals is an absence of the vibration.

18. A method of self-synchronizing speech with respiration, said method comprising the steps of:

wearing a stretchable strap of an indicating apparatus so that the strap linearly expands in response to expansion of the respiratory muscles during the inspiration phase of a respiratory cycle and linearly contracts in response to contraction of the respiratory muscles during the expiration phase of the respiratory cycle;

perceiving a tactile vocalization signal produced by the indicating apparatus while the strap is linearly contracting in the expiration phase;

speaking while perceiving the tactile vocalization signal;

perceiving a tactile pause signal produced by the indicating apparatus while the strap is linearly expanding in the inspiration phase;

inhaling air and pausing from speaking while perceiving the tactile pause signal; and

repeating said step of perceiving a tactile vocalization signal, said step of speaking, said step of perceiving a tactile pause signal and said step of inhaling air and pausing for a plurality of respiratory cycles so as to synchronize speaking with the expiration phases and to synchronize pauses in speaking with the inspiration phases.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the vocalization signal is vibration of a device in contact with the user, and the pause signal is absence of said vibration.

20. The method of self-synchronizing speech with respiration as recited in claim 18 wherein said step of wearing includes wearing the strap over the respiratory muscles.

21. An indicating apparatus for indicating respiratory phases in a user to permit self-synchronization of speech and respiration, said apparatus comprising:

strap means removably securable around the chest or abdomen of the user and being capable of linearly expanding and linearly contracting in response to expansion and contraction of the chest or abdomen as the user inhales and exhales air, respectively, said strap means having sensing means for sensing the linear condition of said strap means as the user inhales and exhales;

processor means carried on said strap means for measuring the linear condition sensed by said sensing means and determining whether said strap means is linearly expanding or linearly contracting, said processor means generating a first command signal in response to a determination that said strap means is linearly expanding and generating a second command signal in response to a determination that said strap means is linearly contracting; and

signaling means carried on said strap means for producing tactilely sensible signals, said signaling means being controlled by said command signals to produce a tactilely sensible pause signal when said first command signal is generated and to produce a tactilely sensible vocalization signal when said second command signal is generated, whereby said pause signal begins coincident with detection of respiratory inspiration so as to prompt the user to refrain from speaking during inhalation of air, and said vocalization signal begins coincident with detection of respiratory expiration so as to prompt the user to speak during exhalation of air.

22. The indicating apparatus of claim 21 wherein said signaling means is a vibrational device selectively vibrates responsive to one of the command signals so as to be felt by the user, and does not vibrate responsive to the other of the command signals.

23. A method of indicating respiratory phases in a user, said method comprising the steps of:

sensing a variable condition of a strap that is worn around the chest or abdomen of the user as the variable condition changes in response to expansion and contraction of the chest or abdomen during inhalation and exhalation, respectively;

generating electrical output indicating the variable condition during inhalation and exhalation;

determining from a most recent of said electrical output whether the user is in an exhalation phase of respiration; and

producing, responsive to a determination that the user is currently in an exhalation phase, a first tactilely sensible condition that can be felt by the user; and

producing, responsive to a determination that the user is currently not in an exhalation phase, a second tactilely sensible condition that can be felt by the user and that is tactilely distinguishable from the first condition.

24. The method of claim 23 the variable condition is the sensed circumference of the chest or abdomen of the user from the strap extending therearound.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein said sensing, determining, and producing of said tactilely sensible conditions is performed in a portable apparatus supported on the body of the user.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the determining of the exhalation phase is based on the most recent output indicting that the strap is contracting in circumferential length.

27. The method of claim 23 wherein one of the tactically sensible conditions is a presence of vibration in a device in contact with the user, and the other tactically sensible condition is absence of said vibration.

28. A portable apparatus for aiding a user in synchronizing speech with exhalation phases of a respiratory cycle of the user, said apparatus comprising:

a sensing apparatus carried on the chest or abdomen of the user, said sensing apparatus detecting a varying physical parameter of the user indicative of degree of expansion of the chest or abdomen of the user during the user'"'"'s respiratory cycle and transmitting a varying signal derived from said detected physical parameter;

a processor receiving the signal from the sensing apparatus, and

a signal device controlled by the processor and configured to give a tactile signal to the user,

said processor determining whether said signal indicates that the user is currently in an exhalation phase, and said processor, responsive to said determination that the user is currently in an exhalation phase, causing said signal device to impart to the user the tactile signal.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the physical parameter from which the sensing apparatus derives the signal is a circumference of the chest or abdomen of the user.

30. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the sensing apparatus includes a strap adapted to be secured about the chest or abdomen of the user, and an electronic device generating the signal varying dependent on expansion or contraction of said strap as the user inhales and exhales.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the signal is a series of digital readings of varying circumferences of the strap.

32. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the signal device signals the user by vibrating during the exhalation phase.

33. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein, during the exhalation phase, the signal device signals the user by discontinuing the vibration.

34. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein the signal device continuously detects the varying physical parameter of the user.