WO2024057486A1 - Exhalation-inducing device, method, and program - Google Patents

Abstract

In an embodiment of the present invention, during induction of exhalation in an organism that performs pulmonary respiration, a vibration signal is generated by a vibration signal generating unit, a vibration parameter of the generated vibration signal is controlled to a pre-set value by a signal control unit, and the vibration signal in which the vibration parameter was controlled is outputted. The present invention is also configured so as to impart, through use of a contact stimulus generating unit arranged so as to face a part forming the lungs or airway with which the organism is provided, a contact stimulus by physical pressure to the part forming the lungs or airway in response to the vibration signal outputted from the signal control unit.

Description

Expiratory induction device, method and program

One aspect of the present invention relates to an exhalation induction device, method, and program used, for example, to induce exhalation in a person.

Appropriate control of breathing is important for reducing stress and accurately performing exercise or playing a wind instrument. Therefore, a technique has been proposed in which, for example, an auditory stimulus using sound is given to a person and the person is guided to breathe at an appropriate cycle in response to this stimulus (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1).

Jason Harris, Sarah VANCE, ODAIR FERNANDES, and RICARDO GutierRez-OSUNA, “Sonic Respiration: Controlling Respiration: Controlling Respiration Rate Thorough Auditories CK ", IN CHI '14 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems 2383-2388 (ACM, 2014).

However, in the technology described in Non-Patent Document 1, a person spontaneously, that is, voluntarily adjusts their breathing in response to auditory stimulation. For this reason, people must always be aware of auditory stimuli, and for example, when playing sports or playing a wind instrument and need to concentrate on the movement or operation, it becomes difficult for people to be conscious of auditory stimuli, leading to breathing guidance. becomes difficult.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to provide a technique that makes it possible to accurately guide expiratory movements by eliminating the need for voluntary expiratory movements.

In order to solve the above problems, one aspect of the exhalation guidance device or the exhalation guidance method according to the present invention is to generate a vibration signal by a vibration signal generation unit, and to generate a vibration signal by a signal control unit when inducing exhalation of a living body that performs lung breathing. The vibration parameter of the generated vibration signal is controlled to a preset value, and the vibration signal with the vibration parameter controlled is output. The lungs or respiratory path is formed in response to the vibration signal output from the signal control unit by a contact stimulation generation unit disposed opposite to a region of the living body that forms the lung or respiratory path. It is designed to apply contact stimulation by physical pressure to the site.

According to one aspect of the present invention, contact stimulation by physical pressure is applied to the lungs or the region forming the breathing path of the living body. For this reason, for example, when a person receives the above-mentioned contact stimulation, he or she involuntarily performs an exhalation motion, thereby eliminating the need for the person to consciously perform an exhalation motion voluntarily. Therefore, even when the user is concentrating on the movement or operation during sports or playing a wind instrument, for example, it is possible to perform an accurate exhalation motion. Furthermore, the application state of the contact stimulation is appropriately set by controlling the vibration parameters of the vibration signal. Therefore, it becomes possible to appropriately control exhalation induction.

That is, according to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a technique that makes it possible to accurately guide exhalation by eliminating the need for voluntary breathing movements.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of an exhalation induction device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an exhalation induction control device that constitutes the core part of the exhalation induction device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing procedure and processing contents of exhalation induction control executed by the exhalation induction control device shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an exhalation induction control device that constitutes the core part of an exhalation induction device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing procedure and contents of exhalation induction control performed by the exhalation induction control device shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of measurement results of the amount of exhaled air released from the mouth when contact stimulation is periodically applied to the cheek. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the measurement results of the expiratory volume and the maximum wind speed value with respect to the frequency of the vibration signal at the start of stimulation. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of the measurement results of the expiratory volume and the maximum wind speed value with respect to the amplitude of the vibration signal at the start of stimulation. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of measurement results of exhalation time with respect to stimulation application time using a vibration signal. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of measurement results of expiratory volume and maximum wind speed value with respect to the amount of air in the oral cavity.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[First embodiment]
(Configuration example)
(1) System FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a system configuration of an exhalation induction device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

The exhalation guidance device according to the first embodiment includes an exhalation guidance control device TM1 and a stimulation generating device SP. The stimulus generator SP includes a pair of vibration speakers SP1 and SP2 that are shaped like headphones, for example. The vibration speakers SP1 and SP2 are attached to both cheeks of, for example, the user US who is the subject of exhalation guidance so as to be sandwiched from the left and right sides. The vibration speakers SP1 and SP2 are connected to the exhalation guidance control device TM1 via the signal cable SL, are driven by vibration signals output from the expiration guidance control device TM1, and apply vibration stimulation to both cheeks of the user US.

In addition to the signal cable SL, the vibration speakers SP1 and SP2 and the exhalation guidance control device TM1 are connected via a wireless interface that adopts a low-power wireless data transmission standard such as Bluetooth (registered trademark), for example. You can do it like this. In this way, it is possible to reduce the load on the user US due to the exhalation induction operation.

(2) Expiratory guidance control device TM1
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the exhalation guidance control device TM1.
The exhalation induction control device TM1 is composed of, for example, a personal computer or a tablet terminal, and includes a control section 1, a program storage section 2, a data storage section 3, a signal source (OSC) 4, and an amplifier (AMP) 5. ing. Note that the amplifier 5 may be prepared separately from the exhalation guidance control device TM1.

The control unit 1 uses a hardware processor such as a central processing unit (CPU), and includes a vibration signal generation unit 11 and a vibration signal generation unit 11 as functional units necessary for implementing the first embodiment. and a signal control section 12. These control function units 11 and 12 are both realized by causing the CPU to execute an application program stored in the program storage unit 2.

Note that one or all of the vibration signal generation section 11 and the signal control section 12 may be realized using hardware such as LSI (Large Scale Integration) or ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit).

The vibration signal generation unit 11 generates a vibration signal having a predetermined waveform based on the reference signal generated from the signal source 4.

The signal control unit 12 controls the vibration parameters of the vibration signal based on vibration parameter control information stored in advance in the vibration parameter storage unit 31 of the data storage unit 3. As the vibration parameters to be controlled, for example, the frequency, amplitude, and output time length (stimulation application time) of the vibration signal are used, but other information specifying the output timing of the vibration signal may also be included.

The signal control unit 12 outputs the vibration signal with the vibration parameters controlled to the amplifier 5 at a predetermined output timing. Note that an example of the vibration parameter control process will be described in the operation example.

The amplifier 5 amplifies the vibration signal output from the signal control unit 12 to a predetermined signal level, and supplies the amplified vibration signal to each vibration speaker SP1, SP2 of the stimulation generator SP. Note that it is also possible to configure the amplifier 5 with a variable gain amplifier so as to variably control the amplitude of the vibration signal in accordance with the amplitude control value included in the vibration parameter.

(Operation example)
Next, an example of the operation of the exhalation guiding device configured as described above will be described.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing procedure and contents of the exhalation induction control executed by the control unit 1 of the exhalation induction control device TM1.

(1) Preparation First, the user US, who is the subject of exhalation guidance, wears a pair of vibration speakers SP1 and SP2 on both his cheeks, sandwiching them from the left and right sides, as shown in FIG. 1, for example. In this state, the user US or the system administrator operates an input device (not shown) to input a request to start an exhalation induction operation to the exhalation induction control device TM1.

(2) Generation of vibration signal On the other hand, when the control unit 1 of the exhalation induction control device TM1 detects the request to start the induction operation in step S10, under the control of the vibration signal generation unit 11, the control unit 1 generates a signal in step S11. A vibration signal is generated based on a reference signal generated from a source 4. As the vibration signal, for example, a rectangular wave chirp signal is used, but signals having other waveforms such as a sine wave or a triangular wave may also be used.

(3) Control of the vibration parameters of the vibration signal The control section 1 of the exhalation guidance control device TM1 then controls the vibration parameters of the vibration signal, for example, as follows under the control of the signal control section 12. That is, the signal control unit 12 first reads vibration parameter control information from the vibration parameter storage unit 31 in step S12. At this time, the vibration parameter control information includes, for example, data representing control values of the vibration wave frequency, amplitude, and output time length, respectively, and data specifying the output timing of the vibration signal.

Next, in step S13, the signal control unit 12 controls the vibration parameters of the vibration signal output from the vibration signal generation unit 11 based on the vibration parameter control information. For example, the frequency, amplitude, and output time length of the vibration signal are controlled according to control values represented by each data included in the control information.

(4) Example of Setting Vibration Parameter Control Values Here, an example of a setting method and a setting result of the control values of the vibration parameters will be described.
For example, an electronic musical instrument equipped with a breath sensor is used to measure exhaled breath. Then, this electronic musical instrument is connected to, for example, an exhalation guidance control device TM1, so that measurement data of exhalation outputted from the breath sensor can be taken into the exhalation guidance control device TM1 and recorded. Note that a separately prepared personal computer for presetting or the like may be used instead of the exhalation guidance control device TM1.

In this state, the vibration speakers SP1 and SP2 are attached to both cheeks of the user US, and the mouthpiece of the electronic musical instrument is placed in the user US's mouth. Then, with the cheeks inflated to the maximum extent, a vibration signal consisting of a rectangular wave chirp signal is supplied to the vibration speakers SP1 and SP2, thereby applying vibration stimulation to the cheeks of the user US. However, at this time, the user US maintains a breath-holding state without breathing. Then, the amount of exhaled air involuntarily released by the user US from the mouth due to the application of the contact stimulation is measured by the breath sensor of the electronic musical instrument, and the measured data is taken into the exhalation guidance control device TM1 and recorded. Note that the measurement data output from the breath sensor is represented by digital values in the range of "0 to 127".

FIG. 6 shows an example of the measured values of the breath sensor when, for example, a vibration signal is supplied to the vibration speakers SP1 and SP2 at a 5 second cycle, thereby intermittently applying vibration stimulation to both cheeks of the user US. be. From this measurement result, it can be confirmed that the user US releases exhaled air at the timing when the vibration stimulation is applied.

Further, with the user US inflating his cheeks to the maximum extent again, vibration stimulation is applied to the cheeks of the user US while individually varying the vibration parameters of the vibration signal in terms of frequency, amplitude, and output time length. Then, the measurement data of the breath sensor in each case is taken into the exhalation guidance control device TM1 and recorded.

Also, in the exhalation induction control device TM1, the exhalation volume, maximum wind speed value, and exhalation output time length are calculated based on the recorded measurement data. For example, the exhalation guidance control device TM1 calculates the integral value of the waveform measured by the breath sensor as the expiratory volume, the maximum value as the maximum wind speed value, and the time when the waveform was observed as the output time length.

FIG. 7 shows an example of the measurement results of the expiratory volume E1 and the maximum wind speed value W1 during exhalation when the frequency of the vibration signal at the start of application of contact stimulation was changed at 20 Hz intervals in the range of 20 Hz to 100 Hz. It is something. In addition, FIG. 8 shows the expiratory volume E2 and the maximum wind speed during expiratory exhalation when the amplitude of the vibration signal at the start of application of the contact stimulation was changed at 0.2 mV intervals in the range of 0.2 to 1.0 mV. An example of the measurement results of W2 is shown. Furthermore, Figure 9 shows the measurement results of the exhalation time when the output time length of the vibration signal, that is, the continuous application time of the contact stimulation, was varied at 0.25 sec intervals in the range of 1.00 sec to 3.00 sec. This is an example.

From the above measurement results, it can be seen that when the frequency and amplitude of the vibration signal at the start of stimulation are increased, the expiratory volume and the maximum wind speed value during expiratory exhalation tend to increase accordingly. Furthermore, it can be seen that as the stimulation application time increases, the exhalation time also increases. Therefore, based on the above measurement results, it is possible to set optimal control values for vibration parameters when actually performing exhalation induction.

In this example, the amplitude or frequency of the vibration signal at the start of stimulation application is set to relatively large values, for example, 0.6 to 1.0 mV and 80 to 100 Hz, respectively, and the values are set to decrease thereafter. do. Further, the output time length (stimulation application time) of the vibration signal is set to a relatively long value, for example, 2.50 to 2.75 seconds. Then, the set values of the amplitude or frequency of the vibration signal and the output time length of the vibration signal are stored in the vibration parameter storage section 31 as vibration parameter control information.

(5) Output of vibration signal Under the control of the signal control unit 12, the control unit 1 of the exhalation induction control device TM1 generates a vibration signal whose amplitude and frequency are controlled in step S13 and whose output time length is controlled. is outputted to the amplifier 5 in step S14 at the timing specified by the output timing specification data included in the vibration parameter control information.

As a result, the vibration signal is amplified with a constant gain by the amplifier 5 and then supplied to the vibration speakers SP1 and SP2, whereby vibration waves are generated from the vibration speakers SP1 and SP2 as vibration stimulation to both cheeks of the user US. applied. As a result, the air accumulated in the oral cavity of the user US is exhaled from the mouth. That is, the exhalation of the user US is induced involuntarily.

(6) Determination of termination of exhalation guidance control The control unit 1 of the exhalation guidance control device TM1 determines whether or not exhalation guidance control has ended in step S15. Then, if the induction control period is in progress, the process returns to step S11 to continue executing the exhalation induction control in steps S11 to S15, and if an induction termination request is input, the series of control processing ends.

(action/effect)
As described above, in the first embodiment, in the exhalation induction control device TM1, after controlling the vibration parameters of the vibration signal generated by the vibration signal generation section 11 according to preset vibration parameter control information, the amplifier 5 and supplies it to vibration speakers SP1 and SP2. As a result, vibration stimulation is applied to both cheeks of the user US from the vibration speakers SP1 and SP2.

As a result, vibrational stimulation is applied to the oral cavity that forms part of the respiratory path, and the user US involuntarily performs an exhalation motion by receiving the vibrational stimulation. There is no need to consciously and voluntarily perform an exhalation motion. Therefore, even when the user is concentrating on the movement or operation during sports or playing a wind instrument, for example, it is possible to perform an accurate exhalation motion. Moreover, the intensity and time of application of the contact stimulus are controlled by vibration parameters. Therefore, it becomes possible to appropriately control exhalation induction.

[Second embodiment]
In the second embodiment of the present invention, the amount of air remaining in the oral cavity of the user US is estimated, and the vibration parameters of the vibration signal are variably controlled according to the result of estimating the amount of air. .

(Configuration example)
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of an exhalation guidance control device TM2 that constitutes the core part of an expiration guidance device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Note that in FIG. 4, the same parts as those in FIG. 2 are given the same reference numerals and detailed explanations will be omitted.

A camera CM is placed at a position facing the face of the user US, who is the subject of exhalation guidance. The camera CM images a range including both cheeks of the user US's face, and outputs the image signal to the exhalation guidance control device TM2.

The exhalation guidance control device TM2 includes a camera interface (hereinafter, the interface will be abbreviated as I/F) section 6. The camera I/F unit 6 receives the image signal output from the camera CM, converts it into digital image data, and outputs the converted image data to the control unit 10.

In addition to the vibration signal generation section 11, the control section 10 includes an air amount estimation section 13 and a signal control section 14. The functions of the air amount estimation section 13 and the signal control section 14 are realized by causing the CPU included in the control section 10 to execute an application program stored in the program storage section 2.

Note that part or all of the vibration signal generation section 11, air amount estimation section 13, and signal control section 14 are realized using hardware such as LSI (Large Scale Integration) or ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Good too.

The air amount estimating unit 13 acquires the image signal output from the camera CM as image data from the camera I/F unit 6, performs image processing on the acquired image data, and calculates the shape of the cheek of the user US, for example, the bulge. Recognize the condition. Then, the amount of air in the oral cavity of the user US is estimated based on the shape of the cheek.

The signal control unit 14 adjusts each default value of the amplitude, frequency, and output time length included in the vibration parameter control information stored in the vibration parameter storage unit 31 based on the amount of air in the oral cavity.

The signal control unit 14 controls the vibration parameters, such as the amplitude, frequency, and output time length, of the vibration signal generated by the vibration signal generation unit 11 based on the adjusted control values of the vibration parameters, and after the control, The vibration signal is output to the amplifier 5.

(Operation example)
Next, the exhalation guidance control operation by the exhalation guidance control device TM2 configured as above will be explained.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of the processing procedure and processing contents of exhalation induction control executed by the control unit 10 of the exhalation induction control device TM2. It is assumed that default values set in advance are set and stored in the vibration parameter storage unit 31 for vibration parameters such as amplitude, frequency, and output time length.

(1) Preparation The user US who is the guidance target wears the vibration speakers SP1 and SP2 on his cheeks as illustrated in FIG. Then, the user US takes a deep breath and retains as much air as possible within his or her oral cavity.

(2) Estimating the amount of air in the oral cavity In this state, when the control unit 10 of the exhalation guidance control device TM2 detects the input of the induction operation start request in step S20, first, under the control of the air amount estimating unit 13, In S21, the camera CM is activated and image data of the user US's face imaged by the camera CM is acquired from the camera I/F unit 6.

Next, in step S22, the air amount estimating unit 13 performs predetermined image processing on the acquired facial image data to recognize the shape of the cheeks. Then, the air amount estimating unit 13 determines the size of the bulge from the shape of the cheek, and estimates the amount of air remaining in the oral cavity of the user US based on the result.

(3) Generation of vibration signal Next, under the control of the vibration signal generation unit 11, the control unit 10 of the exhalation guidance control device TM2 generates a vibration signal based on the reference signal generated from the signal source 4 in step S23. generate. As the vibration signal, for example, a chirp signal consisting of a rectangular wave is used, as in the first embodiment.

(4) Adjustment of vibration parameters Next, under the control of the signal control unit 14, the control unit 10 of the exhalation guidance control device TM2 first obtains the vibration parameter control information from the vibration parameter storage unit 31 in step S24, that is, adjusts the vibration signal. Load default values for frequency, amplitude, and output time length. Then, in step S25, the signal control unit 14 uses the air amount estimating unit 13 to set each default value of the amplitude, frequency, and output time length included in the vibration parameter control information stored in the vibration parameter storage unit 31. Adjust based on the estimated amount of air in the oral cavity.

Here, there is a relationship between the amount of air in the oral cavity, the amount of exhaled air, and the maximum wind speed value. FIG. 10 shows an example of the measurement results. As illustrated in the figure, the larger the amount of air in the oral cavity, the larger the amount of exhaled air. In other words, when exhaling air from the mouth of the user US, a strong contact stimulus is required if there is a large amount of air remaining in the oral cavity, but a strong contact stimulus is not required if the amount of air in the oral cavity is small. be.

Therefore, the signal control unit 14 adjusts the control values of the amplitude, frequency, and output time length of the vibration parameters so that they become larger as the amount of air in the oral cavity increases. For example, the amount of air in the oral cavity is determined based on one or more threshold values, and each control value of the vibration parameter is adjusted in stages based on the determination result.

(5) Control and Output of Vibration Parameter of Vibration Signal In step S26, the signal control unit 14 controls the vibration parameter of the vibration signal generated by the vibration signal generation unit 11 based on each control value of the vibration parameter after adjustment. , that is, each value of amplitude, frequency, and output time length is controlled. The controlled vibration signal is then output to the amplifier 5 at the timing specified by the output timing specification data included in the vibration parameter control information.

As a result, the vibration signal is amplified by the amplifier 5 and then supplied to the vibration speakers SP1 and SP2, whereby vibration waves are generated from the vibration speakers SP1 and SP2 and applied as vibration stimulation to both cheeks of the user US. Ru. As a result, the air accumulated in the oral cavity of the user US is exhaled from the mouth. That is, the user US's exhalation is involuntarily induced.

(6) Determination of end of exhalation guidance control The control unit 10 of the exhalation guidance control device TM2 determines whether or not the exhalation guidance control is ended in step S28. If it is during the guidance control period, the process returns to step S21, and steps S21 to S28 include a series of steps including estimating the amount of air in the oral cavity of the user US and adjusting the control value of the vibration parameter based on the estimation result. Exhalation induction control is repeatedly executed. On the other hand, if a request to end induction is input, for example, a series of processes related to exhalation induction control is terminated.

Note that in the case of the same user US, if it can be considered that the amount of air in the oral cavity hardly changes even if the user breathes again, the control unit 10 of the exhalation guidance control device TM2 determines that the guidance control period is in progress in step S28. In this case, the process of estimating the amount of air in the oral cavity of the user US may be omitted, the process may return to step S23, and the exhalation guidance control in steps S23 to S28 may be continued.

(action/effect)
As described above, in the second embodiment, the exhalation guidance control device TM2 estimates the amount of air in the oral cavity of the user US based on the image data of the camera CM under the control of the air amount estimation unit 13, The control value of the vibration parameter of the vibration signal is adjusted according to the estimated air amount. Then, the amplitude, frequency, and output time length of the vibration signal generated by the vibration signal generation section 11 are controlled according to each of the adjusted control values of the vibration parameters, and the vibration signal after the control is amplified by the amplifier 5. By supplying the vibration to the speakers SP1 and SP2, vibration stimulation is applied to both cheeks of the user US.

Therefore, according to the second embodiment, in addition to the effects described in the first embodiment, the following effects can be achieved. That is, for each user US, vibration stimulation adjusted according to the amount of air in the oral cavity is applied to the cheek of the user US. Therefore, even if there is variation in the amount of air in the oral cavity among users US, it is possible to induce exhalation with optimal vibration stimulation for each user US.

Furthermore, even if the user PS is the same, if the amount of air in the oral cavity changes with each breath, vibration stimulation adjusted according to the amount of air at that time is applied to the user PS's cheeks. Therefore, even if the amount of air in the oral cavity of the user US changes with each breath, it is possible to induce exhalation with optimal vibration stimulation each time.

[Other embodiments]
(1) The contact stimulation generating section may be one that applies vibration stimulation to the cheek of the user US using vibration speakers SP1 and SP2, or one that presses a contact section against the user's cheek by operating a servo motor, for example. A device that applies electrical stimulation to the user's skin may also be used. In addition to the user's cheek, the target region to which contact stimulation is applied may be a region of the user's chest corresponding to the lungs, a region corresponding to the airway such as the user's throat, or the like.

(2) When controlling the vibration parameters of the vibration signal, it is possible to control all of the frequency, amplitude, and output time length, but it is better to control one or both of the frequency, amplitude, and output time length. You can do it like this.

(3) In addition to providing the functions of the exhalation guidance control device on a terminal such as a personal computer or a tablet terminal, the functions may be provided on a server computer or the like located on the Web or in the cloud. In this case, contact stimulation control information is transferred from the server computer to a user terminal such as a personal computer or smartphone owned by the user via a network, and the user terminal generates, for example, a vibration signal based on this contact stimulation control information. This can be realized by supplying the signal to a contact stimulus generator such as a vibration speaker.

(4) The amount of air in the oral cavity may be estimated by, for example, having the user actually exhale air retained in the oral cavity and measuring the amount. In addition, the functional configuration of the contact stimulation control device, the processing procedure and processing content of its exhalation guidance control, the object of exhalation guidance (an animal other than a human that breathes through lungs may be used), etc. do not depart from the gist of the present invention. It can be implemented with various modifications within the range.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the above description is merely an illustration of the present invention in all respects. It goes without saying that various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. That is, in implementing the present invention, specific configurations depending on the embodiments may be adopted as appropriate.

In short, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments as they are, but can be embodied by modifying the constituent elements within the scope of the invention at the implementation stage. Moreover, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining the plurality of components disclosed in each of the above embodiments. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiments. Furthermore, components from different embodiments may be combined as appropriate.

US...User SP...Stimulus generator TM1, TM2...Exhalation guidance control device CM...Camera 1, 10...Control unit 2...Program storage unit 3...Data storage unit 4...Signal source 5...Amplifier 6...Camera I/F unit 11 ...Vibration signal generation section 12, 14...Signal control section 13...Air amount estimation section 31...Vibration parameter storage section

Claims (7)

An exhalation induction device for inducing exhalation of a living body that performs lung respiration,
a vibration signal generation unit that generates a vibration signal;
a signal control unit that controls a vibration parameter of the generated vibration signal to a preset value and outputs the vibration signal with the vibration parameter controlled;
contacting the lungs or the region forming the respiratory path with physical pressure in response to the vibration signal output from the signal control unit, which is arranged opposite to the region forming the lung or respiratory path of the living body; An exhalation induction device comprising: a contact stimulus generating section that applies a stimulus; The exhalation guidance device according to claim 1, wherein the contact stimulation generating section applies a vibration stimulation to the lungs or a region forming a respiratory path as the contact stimulation. The exhalation guidance device according to claim 1, wherein the signal control unit controls at least one of a vibration frequency, an amplitude, and an output time length of the vibration signal as the vibration parameter. The exhalation according to claim 1, wherein the signal control unit controls, as the vibration parameter, at least one of a vibration frequency and an amplitude of the vibration signal at the start of application of the contact stimulation to be set to the largest value and then decreased. Guidance device. Further comprising a measuring unit for measuring the amount of air in the lung or a site forming the respiratory passage,
The expiratory induction device according to claim 1, wherein the signal control unit controls at least one of the vibration frequency, amplitude, and output time length of the vibration signal as the vibration parameter so that the larger the air volume measured by the measurement unit, the larger the value becomes. An exhalation induction method for inducing exhalation of a living organism that performs lung breathing, the method comprising:
a process of generating a vibration signal;
controlling a vibration parameter of the generated vibration signal to a preset value, and outputting the vibration signal with the vibration parameter controlled;
A contact stimulation generating unit disposed opposite to a region forming the lungs or respiratory path of the living body causes a physical stimulation to the region forming the lungs or the respiratory path in response to the vibration signal in which the vibration parameters are controlled. A method for inducing exhalation, comprising: applying a contact stimulus using pressure. A program that causes a processor included in the exhalation guidance device to execute processing by the signal control unit included in the exhalation guidance device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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