RESPIRATORY BIOFEEDBACK DEVICES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS

• US 20100240945A1
• Filed: 02/19/2010
• Published: 09/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vuaant Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Breathresearch, Inc.
• Inventors: Bikko, Nirinjan
• Granted Patent: US 9,779,751 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/28
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/01 Measuring temperature of body parts ; Diagnostic temperature sensing, e.g. for malignant or inflamed tissue clinical contact thermometers G01K13/20
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0205 Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular conditions and different types of body conditions, e.g. heart and respiratory condition
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/021 Measuring pressure in heart or blood vessels A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/024 Detecting, measuring or recording pulse rate or heart rate A61B5/0205, A61B5/021 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02405 Determining heart rate variability
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/08 Detecting, measuring or recording devices for evaluating the respiratory organs A61B5/0205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1112 Global tracking of patients, e.g. by using GPS
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/145 Measuring characteristics of blood in vivo, e.g. gas concentration, pH value; Measuring characteristics of body fluids or tissues, e.g. interstitial fluid, cerebral tissuemeasuring of blood pressure or blood flow A61B5/02; non-radiation detecting or locating of foreign bodies in blood A61B5/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/369 Electroencephalography [EEG] devices for psychotechnics A61B5/16
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/486 Bio-feedback A61B5/375 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7415 Sound rendering of measured values, e.g. by pitch or volume variation A61B5/741 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/003 Detecting lung or respiration noise
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 5/56 Devices for preventing snoring by influencing the respiratory system by gas treatment A61M16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 21/00 Speech or voice signal processing techniques to produce another audible or non-audible signal, e.g. visual or tactile, in order to modify its quality or its intelligibility G10L19/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems

Abstract

Respiratory-based biofeedback devices, systems, and methods are provided. A respiratory biofeedback method includes producing a respiratory signal in response to a user'"'"'s respiratory activity, generating an audio output signal that includes a modified version of the respiratory signal, and converting the audio output signal into sound waves output to the user to provide biofeedback. The sound waves can be output to the user in real time response to the user'"'"'s respiratory activity. A microphone can be used to generate the respiratory signal. The generated audio output signal can includes the respiratory signal modified to increase a volume level of a portion of the respiratory signal where the volume level exceeds a specified volume level.

Claims

1. A biofeedback method, comprising:

producing a respiratory signal in response to a user'"'"'s respiratory activity;

generating an audio output signal comprising a modified version of the respiratory signal; and

converting the audio output signal into sound waves output to the user to provide biofeedback.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the respiratory signal is modified based on a characteristic other than intensity.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the respiratory signal is modified based on a numerical calculation.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the respiratory signal modification changes based on a detected state.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the respiratory signal is modified to at least one of enhance, accentuate, or amplify a portion of the respiratory signal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio output signal is generated by using a first device, and the method further comprises transmitting at least one of the respiratory signal or the audio output signal to a second device for at least one of processing, analysis, or storage in memory.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the transmission occurs over a communication network.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the biofeedback provides at least one of education, behavioral modification, stress reduction, snoring reduction, or training to the user.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the biofeedback provides fitness training to the user.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the audio output signal is generated by using a digital processor.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the respiratory signal is modified to accentuate a portion of the respiratory signal having an intensity level above a specified intensity level.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the sound waves are output to the user in real time response to the user'"'"'s respiratory activity.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing data in a memory device, the data comprising at least one of:

the respiratory signal;

data derived from the respiratory signal;

the audio output signal;

or

data derived from the audio output signal.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein producing a respiratory signal comprises converting sound of the user'"'"'s respiratory activity into the respiratory signal.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the generated audio output signal comprises the respiratory signal modified to increase the volume level of a portion of the respiratory signal where the volume level exceeds a specified volume level.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

producing a secondary audio signal; and

adding the secondary audio signal to the audio output signal.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining one or more locations for the user; and

storing the one or more locations in a memory device.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a kinesthetic output in response to at least one of the respiratory signal or the audio output signal.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a visual output in response to at least one of the respiratory signal or the audio output signal.

20. An article comprising a storage medium having instructions stored thereon, which instructions when executed result in the performance of the following method:

producing a respiratory signal in response to a user'"'"'s respiratory activity;

generating an audio output signal comprising a modified version of the respiratory signal; and

converting the audio output signal into sound waves output to the user to provide biofeedback.

21. A biofeedback method, comprising:

producing a respiratory signal in response to a user'"'"'s respiratory activity;

generating a non-respiratory signal in response to a non-respiratory physiological activity of the user;

quantifying an aspect of the non-respiratory signal;

generating an audio output signal comprising the respiratory signal modified in response to the quantified aspect of the non-respiratory signal; and

converting the audio output signal into sound waves output to the user in real time response to the user'"'"'s respiratory activity to provide biofeedback.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the sound waves are output to the user in real time response to the user'"'"'s respiratory activity.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising storing data in a memory device, the data comprising at least one of:

the respiratory signal;

data derived from the respiratory signal;

the non-respiratory signal;

data derived from the non-respiratory signal;

the audio output signal;

or

data derived from the audio output signal.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein producing a respiratory signal comprises converting sound of the user'"'"'s respiratory activity into the respiratory signal.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

producing a secondary audio signal; and

adding the secondary audio signal to the audio output signal.

26. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

determining one or more locations for the user; and

storing the one or more locations in a memory device.

27. The method of claim 21, further comprising generating a kinesthetic output in response to at least one of the respiratory signal, the non-respiratory signal, or the audio output signal.

28. The method of claim 21, further comprising generating a visual output in response to at least one of the respiratory signal, the non-respiratory signal, or the audio output signal.

29. An article comprising a storage medium having instructions stored thereon, which instructions when executed result in the performance of the following method:

producing a respiratory signal in response to a user'"'"'s respiratory activity;

generating a non-respiratory signal in response to a non-respiratory physiological activity of the user;

quantifying an aspect of the non-respiratory signal;

generating an audio output signal comprising the respiratory signal modified in response to the quantified aspect of the non-respiratory signal; and

converting the audio output signal into sound waves output to the user in real time response to the user'"'"'s respiratory activity to provide biofeedback.

30. A biofeedback system, comprising:

a respiratory sensor configured to generate a respiratory signal in response to a user'"'"'s respiratory activity;

a processing unit communicatively coupled with the respiratory sensor and comprising a processor and a tangible medium comprising instructions that when executed cause the processor to generate an audio output signal comprising a modified version of the respiratory signal; and

an audio output device communicatively coupled with the processing unit and configured to convert the audio output signal to sound waves output to the user to provide biofeedback.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the respiratory signal is modified to accentuate a portion of the respiratory signal having an intensity level above a specified intensity level.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the sound waves are output to the user in real time response to the user'"'"'s respiratory activity.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein the respiratory sensor comprises a microphone.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the generated audio output signal comprises the respiratory signal modified to increase the volume level of portions of the respiratory signal where the volume level exceeds a specified volume level.

35. The system of claim 30, comprising an audio source configured to generate a secondary audio signal that is added to the audio output signal.

36. The system of claim 30, wherein:

the system comprises a kinesthetic output device communicatively coupled with the processing unit; and

the tangible medium comprises instructions that when executed cause the processor to generate a kinesthetic output for the kinesthetic output device in response to at least one of the respiratory signal or the audio output signal.

37. The system of claim 30, wherein:

the system comprises a display communicatively coupled with the processing unit; and

the tangible medium comprises instructions that when executed cause the processor to generate a visual output for the display in response to at least one of the respiratory signal or the audio output signal.

38. The system of claim 30, wherein:

the system comprises;

a location-determining device communicatively coupled with the processing unit and configured to determine one or more locations for the user, and

a memory device communicatively coupled with the processing unit; and

the tangible medium comprises instructions that when executed cause the processor to store the one or more locations in the memory device.

39. The system of claim 30, wherein:

the system comprises a memory device communicatively coupled with the processing unit; and

the tangible medium comprises instructions that when executed cause the processor to store data in the memory device, the data comprising at least one of

the respiratory signal;

data derived from the respiratory signal;

the audio output signal;

or

data derived from the audio output signal.

40. A biofeedback method, comprising:

producing a respiratory signal with a respiratory sensor in response to a user'"'"'s respiratory activity;

transmitting the respiratory signal to a processing unit, the processing unit comprising a processor and a tangible medium comprising instructions that when executed cause the processor to generate an audio output signal comprising a modified version of the respiratory signal;

generating the audio output signal with the processing unit;

transmitting the audio output signal to an audio output device; and

converting the audio output signal with the audio output device to sound waves broadcast to the user to provide biofeedback.

41. The method of claim 40, wherein generating the audio output signal with the processing unit comprises accentuating a portion of the respiratory signal having an intensity level above a specified intensity level.

42. The method of claim 40, wherein converting the audio output signal is accomplished in real time response to the user'"'"'s respiratory activity.

43. The method of claim 40, wherein producing a respiratory signal with a respiratory sensor comprises converting sounds of the user'"'"'s respiratory activity with a microphone.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein generating the audio output signal with the processing unit comprises increasing a volume level of portions of the respiratory signal where a volume level exceeds a specified volume level.

45. The method of claim 40, further comprising producing a secondary audio signal that is added to the audio output signal.

46. The method of claim 40, further comprising generating a kinesthetic output for a kinesthetic output device with the processing unit in response to at least one of the respiratory signal or the audio output signal.

47. The method of claim 40, further comprising generating a visual output for a display with the processing unit in response to at least one of the respiratory signal or the audio output signal.

48. The method of claim 40, further comprising:

determining a location for the user; and

storing the location in a memory device communicatively coupled with the processing unit.

49. The method of claim 40, further comprising storing data in a memory device coupled with the processing unit, the data comprising at least one of the respiratory signal, data derived from the respiratory signal, the audio output signal, or data derived from the audio output signal.