KR102850066B1 - Apparatus for measuring respiration - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a respiration measurement device, and more particularly, to a respiration measurement device that is capable of accurately measuring respiration volume even when a user is continuously moving or engaged in strenuous activity (e.g., exercising), and that is capable of improving portability and wearability of the measurement device by making it miniaturized and lightweight.

Description

{APPARATUS FOR MEASURING RESPIRATION}

The present invention relates to a respiration measurement device, and more particularly, to a respiration measurement device that is capable of accurately measuring respiration volume even when a user is continuously moving or engaged in strenuous activity (e.g., exercising), and that is capable of improving portability and wearability of the measurement device by making it miniaturized and lightweight.

Vital signs, or vital signs, can be measured by measuring body temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate, and are widely used to detect and diagnose medical problems. Among these, respiratory rate can increase with fever, illness, and medical conditions, and can change dramatically depending on activity, rest, or exposure to illness or harmful environments.

Common methods for measuring respiratory volume include listening to breathing sounds using a stethoscope, measuring changes in oxygen saturation through signal processing of an electrocardiogram, and continuously measuring chest movements caused by inhalation and exhalation using a sensor while wearing a mask.

However, these methods have limitations: breath volume measurement results vary depending on the person measuring it, expensive equipment is required, and accurate measurements are difficult when the subject is constantly moving. Furthermore, the size of the measuring device makes it difficult to carry or uncomfortable for the user to wear.

Therefore, it is necessary to develop a respiration measurement device that can accurately measure respiration even when the subject of measurement is continuously moving, and that can improve the portability and wearability of the measurement device by making it miniaturized and lightweight.

delete

U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US2019/0175064 A1 (June 13, 2019), 'nasal and oral respiration sensor' U.S. Patent Application Publication No. US2021/0244905 A1 (August 21, 2021), 'Nasal seal, mask, and respiratory interface assembly'

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a respiration measurement device that can accurately measure respiration volume even when the user is continuously moving or engaged in strenuous activity (e.g., exercising), and that can be made small and lightweight to improve portability of the measurement device and wearability of the user.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a main body unit that is fitted on a user's nose; and

A respiration measurement device is provided, characterized in that it includes a sensing unit that is coupled inside the main body unit so as to be positioned at the lower part of the user's nose and measures the amount of air flowing in/out according to the user's breathing.

At this time, the main body unit may include: a housing; a support plate coupled to the inside of the housing and having a curved surface corresponding to the outer shape of the user's nose on the inner surface; a support frame formed to cross the curved surface of the support plate; and a support protrusion protruding from the support frame toward the curved surface of the support plate, connecting the support frame and the grooved surface, and forming an internal space for air to flow therein.

At this time, the sensing unit may include a first PCB inserted into the internal space of the support protrusion; and a pressure sensor disposed on the first PCB to measure the amount of air flowing through the opened lower surface of the internal space.

At this time, it may further include a cover piece that is detachably connected to the support frame and covers the opened upper and lower surfaces of the internal space of the support protrusion.

At this time, the cover piece may include a cover frame formed to correspond to the outer shape of the support frame; a pair of extension protrusions protruding from the cover frame toward the support protrusion; and a plurality of communication holes formed in the pair of extension protrusions so as to communicate with the internal space of the support protrusion.

At this time, the cover frame and the extension protrusion may be made of silicone or polyurethane material.

Additionally, holes smaller than a water molecule and larger than an oxygen molecule can be formed in the above-mentioned communication hole.

Inside the housing, a pair of ventilation holes may be formed by the curved surface of the support plate, the support frame, and the support protrusion to allow the user to breathe.

At this time, a pair of straps may be provided on each side of the main body unit to secure the housing to the user's nose.

The present invention has the effect of enabling measurement of respiratory volume even when the user is continuously moving or engaged in strenuous activity (e.g., exercise).

Additionally, miniaturization and lightweighting are possible, which can improve the portability of the measuring device and the wearability of the user.

Additionally, by transmitting the acquired data to a smart device and analyzing it to determine the user's breathing condition, such as the amount and quality of breathing, it is effective in continuously managing the user's health status.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims.

In order to more fully understand the drawings cited in the detailed description of the present invention, a brief description of each drawing is provided.
Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a respiration measurement device according to the present invention.
Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of a respiration measurement device according to the present invention.
Figures 3 and 4 are reference drawings for explaining a respiration measurement device according to the present invention.
Figure 5 is a reference diagram for explaining the state of use of the respiration measurement device according to the present invention, and Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the respiration measurement device according to the present invention in a state of use by a user.

Specific structural or functional descriptions of embodiments according to the concept of the present invention disclosed in this specification are merely illustrative for the purpose of explaining embodiments according to the concept of the present invention, and embodiments according to the concept of the present invention may be implemented in various forms and are not limited to the embodiments described in this specification.

Embodiments according to the concept of the present invention may have various modifications and take various forms, and thus, embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in this specification. However, this is not intended to limit embodiments according to the concept of the present invention to specific disclosed forms, but rather includes modifications, equivalents, or alternatives that fall within the spirit and technical scope of the present invention.

While terms such as "first" or "second" may be used to describe various components, these components should not be limited by these terms. These terms are intended solely to distinguish one component from another. For example, a first component may be referred to as a "second component," and similarly, a second component may also be referred to as a "first component," without departing from the scope of the invention.

When a component is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that it may be directly connected or connected to that other component, but that there may be other components in between. Conversely, when a component is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components in between. Expressions that describe relationships between components, such as "between" and "directly between," or "adjacent to" and "directly adjacent to," should be interpreted similarly.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and is not intended to limit the present invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should be understood that the terms “comprise” or “have” used herein specify the presence of a described feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof, but do not preclude the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant technology, and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined herein.

Hereinafter, a respiration measurement device (100) according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a respiration measurement device (100) according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a respiration measurement device (100) according to the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the respiration measurement device (100) according to the present invention may include a main body unit (110) and a sensing unit (120).

The main body unit (110) forms the main body of the respiration measurement device (100) according to the present invention, can be fixedly placed on the user's nose, and can be formed of a synthetic resin material such as PP (Polypropylene).

The sensing unit (120) is coupled inside the main body unit (110) so as to be positioned at the lower part of the user's nose and measures the amount of air flowing in/out according to the user's breathing.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 2, the main body unit (110) may include a housing (111), a support plate (112), a support frame (117), and a support protrusion (118).

The housing (111) forms the outer shape of the main body unit (110), and can be formed to be curved by connecting multiple surfaces to each other.

The support plate (112) is coupled to the inside of the housing (111) and may have a curved surface (113) on the inside that corresponds to the outer shape of the user's nose. Specifically, the support plate (112) is formed by bending a thin plate, and a curved surface (113) may be formed in the center to correspond to the shape of the user's nose so that the user's nose can be inserted and seated therein.

The support frame (117) may be formed to cross the curved surface (113) of the support plate (112). A space into which the user's nose is inserted is formed by the curved surface (113) of the support plate (112), and the support frame (117) may be provided to cross the space so as to connect both ends of the curved surface (113) to each other.

The support protrusion (118) protrudes from the support frame (117) toward the curved surface (113) of the support plate (112) to connect the support frame (117) and the curved surface (113), and an internal space (119) for air to flow can be formed therein.

The support protrusion (118) has a constant thickness, one end of which is connected to the center of the support frame (117) and the other end of which is connected to the center of the curved surface (113) of the support plate (112), thereby connecting the curved surface (113) and the support frame (117), and has an internal space (119) for air to flow therein. The internal space (119) has an upper surface and a lower surface that are open to form an open surface, and an insertion hole (116) for inserting a first PCB (123) to be described later can be formed in a portion that comes into contact with the curved surface (113).

The sensing unit (120) may include a first PCB (123) and a pressure sensor (121).

The first PCB (123) can be inserted and placed in the internal space (119) of the support protrusion (118).

FIG. 3 is a reference diagram for explaining a respiration measurement device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3 (a), a first PCB (123) in which a pressure sensor (121) is arranged is inserted into the internal space (119) through an insertion hole (116) formed at a contact portion between the internal space (119) of the support protrusion (118) and the curved surface (113), so that the pressure sensor (121) is positioned at the position of the open surface of the internal space (119), and the pressure sensor (121) measures the amount of air flowing through the open lower surface of the internal space (119) as the user breathes.

A pressure sensor (121) is provided in the housing (111) and can measure the amount of air flowing in/out according to the user's breathing. The pressure sensor (121) is placed in the internal space (119) of the support protrusion (118) and measures the amount of air flowing into the internal space (119) through the opened lower surface of the internal space (119) according to the user's breathing. At this time, the pressure sensor (121) can measure the amount of breathing of the user's inhalation or exhalation by measuring the strength of positive or negative pressure formed by the flowing air.

According to this embodiment, the curved surface (113) of the support plate (112) is formed to be curved to correspond to the shape of the user's nose, thereby allowing the incoming air to be gathered toward the pressure sensor (121), thereby enabling more accurate measurement of the respiratory volume.

Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 2, the sensing unit (120) of the respiration measurement device (100) according to the present embodiment may further include a second PCB (124) and a third PCB (125).

The second PCB (124) is provided on one side of the first PCB (123) and spaced apart from the first PCB (123), and the third PCB (125) is provided on the other side of the first PCB (123) and spaced apart from the first PCB (123). The second PCB (124) and the third PCB (125) may be provided with batteries (126, 127) for power supply. At this time, the batteries (126, 127) may be lithium ion polymer batteries.

At this time, the second PCB (124) or the third PCB (125) may be provided with a connector (128) for cable connection, and the cable may be an FFC (Flat Flexible Cable).

According to this embodiment, by dividing the PCB for controlling the respiration measurement device (100) into several parts and arranging them, a compact and diverse design is possible, thereby promoting miniaturization and weight reduction of the measurement device.

At this time, at least one of the first PCB (123) to the third PCB (125) may be equipped with a wireless communication module (not shown). The wireless communication module (not shown) receives a wireless signal transmitted from the pressure sensor (121) and transmits it to an external device. At this time, the external device may be a smart device such as the user's smartphone. An application for analyzing respiration acquired from the pressure sensor (121) may be installed on the smart device, and by using the application, the user's breathing condition such as the amount and quality of respiration can be identified, thereby continuously managing the user's health status.

Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 3, the respiration measurement device (100) according to the present embodiment may further include a cover piece (141).

The cover piece (141) is detachably connected to the support frame (117) and covers the open upper and lower surfaces of the internal space (119) of the support protrusion (118), thereby preventing contamination of the support frame (117) and the support protrusion (118).

Specifically, the cover piece (141) includes a cover frame (143), an extension protrusion (144), and a communication hole (145). The cover frame (143) is formed to correspond to the outer shape of the support frame (117) and is detachably coupled to the support frame (117). At this time, a groove may be formed along the length direction on one side of the cover frame (143) so as to be insertable into the support frame (117), and the support frame (117) may be inserted into the groove of the cover frame (143) by the pressure of the cover frame (143), thereby forming a structure in which the cover frame (143) and the support frame (117) are coupled.

The extension protrusions (144) are formed in pairs spaced apart from each other vertically and protrude from the cover frame (143) toward the support protrusion (118), and a plurality of communication holes (145) can be formed in the pair of extension protrusions (144).

Referring to (a) of FIG. 3, a pair of extension protrusions (144) are formed to protrude toward the support protrusion (118) from the upper and lower portions of the cover frame (143). The extension protrusions (144) cover the upper and lower surfaces of the support protrusions (118), and a plurality of communication holes (145) communicating with the internal space (119) of the support protrusions (118) may be formed in the pair of extension protrusions (144). In addition, holes smaller than the size of water molecules and larger than the size of oxygen molecules may be formed in the communication holes (145). For example, a material such as a GORE-TEX™ Membrane, which does not allow raindrops or water to pass through but allows water vapor smaller than 4 millionths of an inch to pass through, may be formed inside the communication holes (145). By this, the internal space (119) of the communication hole (145) can be thoroughly waterproofed.

When the breath measurement device (100) is used, the user's saliva or dust may adhere to the pressure sensor (121), and such foreign substances not only interfere with the accurate measurement of the breath volume by the pressure sensor (121), but are also undesirable from a hygienic perspective. Therefore, the breath measurement device (100) according to the present embodiment is provided with a detachable cover piece (141) on the support frame (117) to filter foreign substances such as dust and prevent foreign substances from directly adhering to the pressure sensor (121), and when cleaning or replacement is required depending on use, only the cover piece (141) can be detached and cleaned or replaced, thereby ensuring the hygiene of the user (see FIG. 3 (b)).

At this time, the cover frame (143) and the extension protrusion (144) can be formed of silicone or polyurethane material.

Meanwhile, referring to (b) of FIG. 3, a pair of ventilation holes (148) formed by a curved surface (113) of a support plate (112), a support frame (117), and a support protrusion (118) may be formed inside the housing (111). Carbon dioxide exhaled during exhalation is discharged to the outside through the pair of ventilation holes (148), thereby enabling the user to breathe smoothly, and thus the pair of ventilation holes (148) enable the user to breathe. In addition, the ventilation holes (148) are formed adjacent to the user's nostrils and are distinct from the opened lower surface of the internal space (119) of the support protrusion (118), thereby having the effect of maintaining the user's breathing smoothly even when the user's breathing volume increases depending on the user's activity.

Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 4, a pair of straps (153) may be provided on each side end of the main body unit (110) for fixing the housing (111) to the user's nose. Specifically, a connecting port (151) is provided on each side end of a support plate (112) fixed to the inside of the housing (111), and a pair of straps (153) are respectively coupled to the connecting port (151) to form an extension in a ring shape, and the user fixes the housing (111) to the user's nose by fixing the straps (153) to the ears.

FIG. 5 is a reference diagram for explaining the state of use of the respiration measurement device (100) according to the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional diagram of the respiration measurement device (100) according to the present invention in a state of use by a user. The state of use of the respiration measurement device (100) according to the present embodiment will be explained with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

The user places the curved surface (113) of the support plate (112) on the user's nose and then adjusts the support plate (112) so that the cover piece (141) is positioned under the user's nose. Once the cover piece (141) is positioned in the correct position, the housing (111) is fixed using the straps (153) provided on both side ends of the housing (111).

At this time, the pressure sensor (121) placed in the internal space (119) of the support protrusion (118) is positioned below the user's nostrils, and air flows through the opened lower surface of the internal space (119) according to the user's breathing, and the pressure sensor (121) measures the amount of positive or negative pressure formed by the flowing air, thereby measuring the amount of breathing of the user's inhalation or exhalation.

Afterwards, depending on the use of the respiration measurement device (100), if the cover piece (141) needs to be replaced, the cover piece (141) can be separated from the support frame (117) and washed or replaced. After washing or replacing, the cover piece (141) can be reassembled to the support frame (117) to continue to use the respiration measurement device (100) hygienically.

The preferred embodiment of the respiration measurement device according to the present invention has been described above, and the respiration measurement device according to the present invention has the effect of being able to measure respiration volume even when the user is continuously moving or engaged in strenuous activity (e.g., exercising).

Additionally, miniaturization and lightweighting are possible, which can improve the portability of the measuring device and the wearability of the user.

In addition, by transmitting the acquired data to a smart device and analyzing it to determine the user's breathing condition, such as the amount and quality of breathing, it is effective in continuously managing the user's health status.

It should be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention will be determined by the claims that follow, rather than by the detailed description set forth above. Furthermore, the meaning and scope of these claims, as well as all modifications and variations derived from their equivalent concepts, should be construed as encompassing the scope of the present invention.

100: Breathing measurement device
110: Main body unit 111: Housing
112: Support plate 113: Curved surface
116: Insertion hole 117: Support frame
118: Supporting stone 119: Internal space
120: Sensing unit 121: Pressure sensor
123: PCB 1 124: PCB 2
125: 3rd PCB 126: Battery
127: Battery 141: Cover piece
143: Cover frame 144: Extension protrusion
145: Chimney hole 148: Ventilation hole
151: Connector 153: Strap

Claims (9)

Housing; and
A support plate coupled to the inside of the housing and having a curved surface corresponding to the shape of the user's nose on the inside;
A support frame formed to cross the curved surface of the support plate;
A support protrusion protruding from the support frame toward the curved surface of the support plate, connecting the support frame and the curved surface, and forming an internal space for air to flow therein;
A main body unit that is fitted to the user's nose, including:
A first PCB inserted into the inner space of the above support protrusion; and
A pressure sensor arranged on the first PCB and measuring the amount of air flowing through the opened lower surface of the internal space;
A sensing unit that is coupled inside the main body unit to be positioned at the lower part of the user's nose and measures the amount of air flowing in/out according to the user's breathing,
A cover piece detachably connected to the above support frame and covering the open upper and lower surfaces of the internal space of the above support protrusion;
A breathing measuring device comprising:
delete delete delete In the first paragraph,
The above cover piece is,
A cover frame formed to correspond to the outer shape of the above support frame; and
A pair of extension protrusions protruding from the cover frame toward the support protrusion; and
A plurality of communication holes formed in a pair of the extension protrusions so as to communicate with the internal space of the support protrusions;
A breathing measuring device comprising:
In paragraph 5,
A respiration measuring device, wherein the cover frame and the extension protrusion are made of silicone or polyurethane.
In paragraph 5,
In the above communication hole,
A respiration measuring device in which pores are formed that are smaller than a water molecule and larger than an oxygen molecule.
In the first paragraph,
Inside the above housing,
A respiration measuring device, comprising a pair of ventilation holes formed by the above-mentioned curved surface of the support plate, the above-mentioned support frame, and the above-mentioned support protrusion, which allow the user to breathe.
In the first paragraph,
A breathing measurement device, wherein each of the two side ends of the main body unit is provided with a pair of straps for fixing the housing to the user's nose.