System and method for detecting the onset of an obstructive sleep apnea event
First Claim
1. An apparatus for detecting an onset of an obstructive sleep apnea event before cessation of breathing occurs, said apparatus comprising:
- at least two microphones adapted to be acoustically associated with a person, wherein said at least two microphones are configured to detect breathing sounds within an airway of a neck of said person and to generate microphone signals representative of said breathing sounds, wherein said at least two microphones are attached to a collar worn around the neck of the person; and
a controller operatively coupled to the at least two microphones, the controller configured to, while the person is sleeping;
receive said microphone signals,compare said microphone signals to at least one signal pattern stored in a memory, the at least one signal pattern associated with a breathing pattern of said person that occurs at the onset of the obstructive sleep apnea event, andtrigger an alarm signal if said microphone signals indicate, based on the comparison with the at least one signal pattern, an onset of an obstructive sleep apnea event.
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Abstract
There is disclosed a system and method for treating obstructive sleep apnea by terminating an obstructive sleep apnea event before the cessation of breathing occurs. The system comprises one or more microphones capable of detecting breathing sounds within an airway of a person. The microphones generate signals representative of the breathing sounds and send the signals to a controller. The controller uses digital signal processing to identify at least one signal pattern that is associated with a breathing pattern of the person that occurs at the onset of an obstructive sleep apnea event. When the controller detects such a signal pattern, the controller sends an alarm signal to a stimulus generator that creates a stimulus to cause the sleeping person to move in a manner to terminate the obstructive sleep apnea event before cessation of breathing occurs. The obstructive sleep apnea event is terminated without waking the sleeping person.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. An apparatus for detecting an onset of an obstructive sleep apnea event before cessation of breathing occurs, said apparatus comprising:
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at least two microphones adapted to be acoustically associated with a person, wherein said at least two microphones are configured to detect breathing sounds within an airway of a neck of said person and to generate microphone signals representative of said breathing sounds, wherein said at least two microphones are attached to a collar worn around the neck of the person; and a controller operatively coupled to the at least two microphones, the controller configured to, while the person is sleeping; receive said microphone signals, compare said microphone signals to at least one signal pattern stored in a memory, the at least one signal pattern associated with a breathing pattern of said person that occurs at the onset of the obstructive sleep apnea event, and trigger an alarm signal if said microphone signals indicate, based on the comparison with the at least one signal pattern, an onset of an obstructive sleep apnea event. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for detecting an onset of an obstructive sleep apnea event before cessation of breathing occurs, said method comprising the steps of:
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receiving at a controller microphone signals representative of breathing sounds within an airway of a neck of a person from at least two microphones acoustically associated with said person, wherein said at least two microphones are attached to a collar worn around the neck of the person and the controller is operatively coupled to the at least two microphones; comparing said microphone signals to at least one signal pattern stored in a memory, the at least one signal pattern associated with a breathing pattern of said person that occurs at the onset of the obstructive sleep apnea event; and triggering an alarm signal if the microphone signals indicate, based on the comparison with the at least one signal pattern, an onset of an obstructive sleep apnea event. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification