Personal Spirometer

Abstract

A portable hand-held spirometer is disclosed for use in taking respiratory tests and storing and displaying test results. The configuration of the spirometer includes handgrips that are positioned to ensure that the user is properly positioned to provide maximum breathing required for valid test results to be obtained. The spirometer also includes a progressively illuminated indicator that can be viewed by the user during a test to provide an indication in real-time to the user of the expected / desired duration of the exhalation or inhalation test. The indicator is completely illuminated only when the measured accumulated volume of air passing through the spirometer equals a predicted volume determined based on the age, gender, height, weight and ethnicity of the user stored in the spirometer. The structures and arrangement of a turbine assembly and sensors is also disclosed. Further, a method of receiving, storing and displaying information on the spirometer via a color touch screen display is also disclosed.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to a spirometer or like respiratory testing device for use in testing lung and airway capacity or function of a patient and / or for measuring the amount or volume and / or speed or flow of air that can be inhaled and / or exhaled by the patient, and more particularly, the present invention relates to a portable, lightweight, hand-held spirometer particularly suitable for home and personal use, although equally capable of being used in hospitals, doctor's offices, and like institutions. The present invention is also directed to a system, software, and method for obtaining, storing and displaying the results of spirometry tests.[0002]In general, a spirometry test measures the air entering and leaving the lungs and airways and is often used as a preliminary test for accessing the health condition of a patient's lungs and airways as well as a means for periodically tracking the progress of disease treatment and effect of medicati...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0007]According to one aspect of the present invention, a portable, hand-held spirometer is provided having a casework housing with front and rear panels, proximal and distal ends, and opposite side edges. An opposed pair of handgrips are formed by the housing at the opposite side edges, and a pair of finger-receiving throughholes extend through the housing adjacent each of the handgrips. This configuration permits each of the handgrips to be gripped by a hand of a user such that the hand of the user is able to fully encircle, extend around, and gird the handgrip enabling tight gripping and squeezing of the handgrips. The spirometer also includes an air flow tube extending underneath the front panel across the housing from the proximal end to the distal end and a mouthpiece connected to the air flow tube. The air flow tube is located centrally between the opposed pair of handgrips and is spaced from each of the handgrips.

[0010]The spirometer can further include an accumulated volume indicator on the front panel of the housing in a position conveniently viewable by the user when taking a respiratory test. The indicator progressively becomes illuminated along its length during a respiratory test based on an amount of accumulated volume of air passing through the air flow tube measured in real-time by the spirometer. The indicator becomes fully illuminated when the accumulated volume of air measured in real-time by the spirometer equals a Predicted Forced Vital Capacity (PFVC) or a Predicted Inspiratory Vital Capacity (PIVC) specifically determined for the particular user. A microprocessor can be mounted within the housing to receive information concerning the flow of air through the air flow tube during a respiratory test and can determine values for PFVC or PIVC based on stored information of the user's age, gender, height, weight and ethnicity. In addition, the microprocessor controls illumination of the indicator based on a calculated percentage of the PFVC or PIVC reached by the accumulated volume of air measured in real-time by the spirometer during a respiratory test.

[0011]The spirometer can include a turbine assembly within the air flow tube. The turbine assembly includes a vane mounted for spinning rotation in the air flow tube. The vane is caused to rotate by air flow through the air flow tube, and a speed of rotation of the vane corresponds to a speed of air flow through the air flow tube at any instance in time. A pair of sensors can be arranged on opposite sides of the air flow tube adjacent the vane. One of the pair of sensors is a transmitter for directing a beam of electromagnetic radiation transversely across and through the air flow tube such that the beam is interruptible by rotation of the vane. The opposed sensor is a receiver for detecting whether or not the beam passes by the vane or is interrupted by the spinning vane at any point in time. The receiver generates and outputs an electronic digital signal to the microprocessor, and the signal corresponds to when the beam was received and when the beam was interrupted throughout duration of a respiratory test. As an example, the transmitter can be a diode, the receiver can be a phototransistor, and the electromagnetic radiation can be infrared radiation. A shroud can be extended in front of each of the sensors (receiver and transmitter). The shrouds can include narrow openings for the purpose of limiting the beam of infrared radiation being transmitted to a narrow spherical cone with a predetermined effective angle and for the purpose of limiting the infrared radiation being received to prevent any effects from undesired reflections within the air flow tube.

Problems solved by technology

However, no such assistance is typically provided during home use of a spirometer; thus, the obtained home test results may not necessarily be valid if maximum effort is not provided throughout the duration of full expiration or inhalation.

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