A preterm infant oral training device
By designing an automated oral training device for premature infants, the problem of existing devices being unable to specifically adjust muscle strength and missed positions has been solved, achieving safer, more professional, and more efficient oral training and reducing the burden on families.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- THE FIRST AFFILIATED HOSPITAL OF ARMY MEDICAL UNIV
- Filing Date
- 2023-10-26
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-02
AI Technical Summary
Existing oral training devices for premature infants cannot effectively and specifically adjust muscle strength, are prone to missing positions during training, and may cause adverse reactions such as vomiting. They are also complicated to operate and increase the burden on families.
Design an oral training device for premature infants, comprising a heating module, a massage module, a rotation module, and a telescopic module. Combined with a pressure sensor and a communication module, it realizes automated temperature regulation, vibration, rotation, and telescopic movement of the massage head, simulating finger movements and avoiding stimulation and omissions.
It improves the professionalism and safety of training, reduces operational difficulty, ensures training effectiveness, reduces adverse reactions, adapts to individual differences, and optimizes training trajectories.
Smart Images
Figure CN117205065B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of oral training technology, specifically to an oral training device for premature infants. Background Technology
[0002] Each year, premature infants account for about 10% of all newborns due to premature birth or low birth weight. Because their bodily functions are not fully developed, these premature infants often need to rely on breathing tubes and gastric tubes to maintain their lives. As a result, their oral muscles cannot coordinate the three rhythmic movements of sucking, swallowing and breathing independently. Therefore, if food or liquid is accidentally entered into the trachea or lungs, it will cause pneumonia.
[0003] In clinical practice, therapists typically use a method involving alternating increases and decreases in massage pressure with cot-covered fingers to stimulate premature infants. However, this method requires professional operation, has a long treatment period, and causes considerable inconvenience to families of premature infants. Furthermore, premature infants often require prolonged care, which undoubtedly increases the psychological stress and financial burden on their families.
[0004] Therefore, an oral training stick for newborns, infants, and toddlers has been launched on the market. It can cleverly replace the fingers inserted into the baby's mouth for oral training, making the oral training process simpler and easier, and greatly reducing the economic burden on families of premature babies.
[0005] However, while the aforementioned oral training sticks offer certain convenience and practicality, they still present some problems. The most prominent issue is that the vibration frequency can only be adjusted according to a preset program or manually controlled by a family member. This limitation makes it difficult to target specific muscles with varying intensity during training, thus affecting the therapeutic effect. Furthermore, training typically requires family members to move the handle outside the mouth to change the training position, which may lead to missed areas. Moreover, if the movement is not properly controlled, the training stick may deviate from its intended position, potentially even causing adverse reactions such as vomiting in premature infants. Summary of the Invention
[0006] The purpose of this invention is to provide an oral training device for premature infants. This technical solution can more effectively train the strength of various muscle groups in the oral cavity, thereby improving the coordination between sucking, swallowing and breathing.
[0007] To achieve the above objectives, this disclosure provides an oral training device for premature infants, including a heating module for collecting the oral temperature of the premature infant and heating a massage head according to the oral temperature of the premature infant; a massage module including a massage head and a vibration submodule, the vibration submodule being able to drive the massage head to produce a vibration effect; a rotation module for driving the massage head to rotate inside the premature infant's oral cavity; and a telescopic module for controlling the extension and retraction of the massage head.
[0008] The beneficial effects of the basic design: The massage head can simulate the shape of a finger and generate vibrations through the vibration submodule to massage the premature infant's mouth during oral training. The heating module heats the massage head, preventing overheating or cooling that could cause sensory stimulation to the premature infant, reducing the foreign body sensation, and ensuring smooth training. The rotation module simulates the multi-dimensional movement of a finger in the mouth, enabling massage of different tissues inside and outside the mouth, such as the lips, cheeks, tongue, palate, and gums, avoiding blind spots and making training more comprehensive. The massage head can rotate automatically without manual intervention from family members, allowing for more appropriate rotation amplitude and speed, and preventing excessive stimulation to the premature infant from movement. The telescopic module allows the massage head to move more flexibly in the mouth, making the massage process smoother, and can also be directly and promptly removed from the premature infant's mouth when necessary, ensuring the safety of training.
[0009] The aforementioned technical features make oral training devices for premature infants more effective, improve the professionalism of training, and reduce the difficulty of operation. Family members only need to keep the training device stable during training.
[0010] As a preferred feasible solution, the massage module also includes several pressure sensors distributed on the surface of the massage head, which can detect the contact pressure between the massage head and the oral muscles in real time.
[0011] As a feasible preferred solution, the heating module is provided with an overheat protection submodule, which is used to automatically cut off the power supply to the heating element when the temperature exceeds the set range.
[0012] As a feasible preferred solution, a communication module is also included for connecting to a control terminal via wired or wireless means, facilitating control of the device through the control terminal.
[0013] As a feasible preferred embodiment, it also includes a recording module, which includes a motion sensor for detecting the movement trajectory and angular changes of the rotating module within the oral cavity, and thereby analyzing the movement trajectory of the massage head within the oral cavity.
[0014] As a preferred feasible option, the recording module is also used to mark the location of massaged muscles in the preterm infant's mouth and display them visually.
[0015] As a feasible preferred embodiment, the device also includes a motion control module for controlling the movement of the massage head and for analyzing pressure data to determine the activity of the premature infant's oral cavity in order to adjust the movement trajectory of the massage head.
[0016] As a preferred feasible solution, the motion control module is also used to plan the training sequence based on the user's individual differences and training goals, including age, gender, and health status; and to generate the movement trajectory of the massage head according to the required training areas and training sequence. Attached Figure Description
[0017] Figure 1 A system architecture diagram of an oral training device for premature infants;
[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation
[0019] To make the technical solution and advantages of this application clearer, the technical solution of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only some embodiments of the present invention, and are only used to explain this application, not to limit it. It should be noted that the technical features or combinations of technical features described in the following embodiments should not be considered isolated; they can be combined with each other to achieve better technical effects. The same reference numerals appearing in the accompanying drawings of the following embodiments represent the same features or components, and can be applied to different embodiments.
[0020] Furthermore, unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in this invention description shall have the ordinary meaning understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains.
[0021] Furthermore, it should be noted that in the description of this invention, the terms "first," "second," "third," etc., are used only for distinguishing descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.
[0022] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings:
[0023] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached drawings: Electronic device 500, processor 501, communication interface 502, memory 503, bus 504.
[0024] Example 1
[0025] Reference Figure 1 An oral training device for premature infants, comprising:
[0026] The massage module includes a massage head and a vibration sub-module. The surface of the massage head is made of rubber to adapt to the shape and structure of the oral cavity. The vibration sub-module includes a small motor and an eccentric wheel. The motor drives the eccentric wheel to rotate, generating a vibration effect to simulate finger exercises for oral cavity training.
[0027] The massage module also includes several pressure sensors distributed on the surface of the massage head, which can detect the contact pressure between the massage head and the oral muscles in real time. By analyzing the pressure sensor data, it can be determined whether the target muscle has been successfully massaged, and the massage intensity and position can be adjusted as needed.
[0028] A heating module is used to heat the massage head to maintain the temperature of the premature infant's mouth. It includes a temperature sensor, employing a high-precision thermistor or infrared sensor, capable of accurately detecting the temperature inside the premature infant's mouth. Based on the data feedback from the temperature sensor, the heating module controls the power and heating time of the heating element to achieve a target temperature consistent with the premature infant's oral cavity, avoiding overheating or undercooling that could cause sensory stimulation. In this embodiment, the heating element can be a heating wire or a semiconductor heating chip.
[0029] The heating module is also equipped with an overheat protection submodule, which automatically cuts off the power supply to the heating element when the temperature exceeds the set range, so as to avoid overheating damage to the oral cavity of premature infants.
[0030] The rotating module is used to drive the massage head to rotate within the premature infant's mouth to a certain extent, and to control the rotation speed and amplitude of the rotating module to simulate the multidimensional movement of fingers in the mouth, so as to achieve massage and tapping of different tissues inside and outside the mouth, such as the lips, cheeks, tongue, palate, and gums.
[0031] The telescopic module, used to control the forward and backward movement of the massage head, includes a driver and a transmission mechanism. In this embodiment, the driver can be electric, pneumatic, or hydraulic, and can drive the massage head to telescopically move along an axis. This facilitates the massage head entering the oral cavity of a premature infant and allows it to move forward and backward within the mouth.
[0032] The communication module connects to the control terminal via wired or wireless means, facilitating device control through the terminal, which can be a remote control, mobile phone, or computer. Wireless communication can utilize technologies such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or infrared, while wired communication can be achieved via a USB interface or other data transmission cables. The communication module receives commands and parameter settings from the control terminal and transmits them to the corresponding modules for execution. Simultaneously, the communication module can also feed back device status information, temperature data, and massage records to the control terminal, enabling two-way information exchange. Users can control the heating, massage, and rotation modules through the control terminal and view the device's operating status and data.
[0033] The recording module includes a motion sensor and a data storage device. The motion sensor, such as an accelerometer or gyroscope, detects the movement trajectory and angular changes of the rotating module within the infant's mouth and analyzes its movement. It also includes a display submodule to mark the locations of massaged muscles in the premature infant's mouth and display them visually, making it easier to see which muscles were missed during oral training and ensuring the quality of the training. This solution essentially collects personalized oral information from the premature infant, including the distances and relative positions between different training areas.
[0034] Example 2
[0035] The key difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 1 lies in the inclusion of a motion control module. This module controls the movement of the massage head. Oral training includes multiple areas requiring training. During rotation, a pressure sensor monitors real-time pressure changes in the premature infant's mouth. By analyzing this pressure data, the activity of the premature infant's mouth can be understood. For example, if the premature infant applies pressure while sucking or biting, the pressure sensor reading will change. Based on the pressure sensor reading, the motion control module can adjust the massage head's trajectory to coordinate with the premature infant's oral activities. For instance, if the premature infant applies pressure to the massage head with their tongue while sucking, the motion control module can adjust the massage head's trajectory to avoid the tongue and prevent conflict with oral activities.
[0036] In this way, the massage stick can rotate freely in the mouth, making it more flexible and smooth. At the same time, by avoiding interference with the premature infant's oral movements, the massage stick will not stimulate the premature infant. This helps ensure the safety and comfort of the massage process.
[0037] Example 3
[0038] The technical difference between this embodiment and Embodiment 2 is that the motion control module further includes a training planning submodule and a trajectory generation submodule.
[0039] The training planning submodule is used to plan the optimal training sequence based on the user's individual differences and training goals (such as improving bite strength). Individual differences include age, gender, health status, etc. The trajectory generation submodule is used to generate the movement trajectory of the massage head according to the required training areas and training sequence, so as to ensure that the massage head can reasonably complete the training of all areas.
[0040] It also includes a trajectory optimization submodule, which uses an improved ant colony algorithm to select the optimal movement trajectory of the massage head, specifically including the following steps:
[0041] An ant colony algorithm iterative model is constructed. In this embodiment, the model selection scheme corresponds to the change in the position of the massage head over continuous time. Based on the distance and relative position between the training parts of the premature infant, the model is built in three-dimensional coordinates, and the starting node and target node are set according to the data of the training planning submodule.
[0042] Initialize the ant colony algorithm parameters, including the number of ants, initial pheromone concentration, pheromone evaporation rate, and number of iterations. Place the ant colony at the source node and let the ants sequentially choose the next node until all ants reach the target node.
[0043] Construct the node selection function:
[0044]
[0045] In the formula, Let be the probability that the k-th ant will move from node i to node j at iteration number n. The pheromone concentration transferred from node i to node j. The visibility heuristic information variable represents the degree of heuristic for the ant's movement from node i to node j. In this embodiment, the visibility heuristic information variable is related not only to the distance between the two nodes, but also to the pressure applied to the massage head. and These are the pheromone factor and the pheromone concentration heuristic factor. This is a list of feasible nodes, where the nodes do not exist in the taboo list.
[0046] Constructing the energy-degree heuristic function:
[0047]
[0048] in, Let i be the set of neighboring nodes. Let the pressure be the sum of the pressures on all neighboring nodes of node i. By analyzing the pressure on the current node and the direction of that pressure, we can predict the pressures on its neighboring nodes. Let be the distance between nodes i and j. Let j be the current pressure experienced by node i's neighbor node.
[0049] Each ant in the ant colony starts from the node (0,0,0) and repeatedly executes the node selection function to select a node. It determines whether the ant has reached the target node. If it has not reached it, it continues to search for the next node until the ant reaches the target node. The nodes selected by the ant form a path.
[0050] Construct the pheromone update function:
[0051]
[0052] In the formula, The updated pheromone concentration. For pheromone evaporation rate, The pheromone concentration before the update. Let be the increase in pheromone concentration when the k-th ant moves from node i to node j at iteration number n. For a fixed increase in pheromone concentration, The operating power of the massage stick is transferred from node i to node j. For power The power loss factor under the following conditions The weighting is determined by the impact of power loss. The rotation radius affects the weight. Let be the radius of rotation from node i to node j; Let be the length of the trajectory from node i to node j. The weights are influenced by the trajectory length. By adding a factor to the pheromone concentration and assigning random values within different ranges to different ants according to the rules in the formula, the pheromone concentration of different ants will show greater randomness differences, thereby changing the ants' enthusiasm for exploring new paths and avoiding local optima.
[0053] Therefore, after the ants in the ant colony have traversed all paths once, they update the pheromone concentration on each path according to the pheromone update function.
[0054] Determine if the iteration termination condition is met. If so, terminate the iteration and select the path with the highest pheromone concentration as the massage head movement trajectory. Otherwise, repeat the iteration steps and the judgment steps.
[0055] This disclosure also provides a method for oral training of premature infants, which utilizes an oral training device for premature infants from any of the above embodiments.
[0056] This disclosure also provides a storage medium storing a computer program that, when executed by a processor, can implement all the steps of a preterm infant oral training method.
[0057] Those skilled in the art will understand that implementing all or part of the processes in a preterm infant oral training method can be accomplished by a computer program instructing related hardware. The program can be stored in a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium. When executed, the program can include the processes of various embodiments of the preterm infant oral training method. Any references to memory, storage, databases, or other media used in the embodiments provided in this application can include non-volatile and / or volatile memory. Non-volatile memory may include read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory may include random access memory (RAM) or external cache memory. By way of illustration and not limitation, RAM is available in a variety of forms, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), dual data rate SDRAM (DDRSDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link DRAM (SLDRAM), RAMbus direct RAM (RDRAM), direct memory bus dynamic RAM (DRDRAM), and memory bus dynamic RAM (RDRAM).
[0058] This application also provides an electronic device, including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor. When the processor executes the program, it implements the steps of the aforementioned oral training method for premature infants. In this application embodiment, the processor is the control center of the computer system; it can be a physical machine processor or a virtual machine processor.
[0059] Reference Figure 2 The electronic device 500 includes at least one processor 501, at least one communication interface 502, at least one memory 503, and at least one bus 504. The bus 504 is used for communication between these components, the communication interface 502 is used for signaling or data communication with other node devices, and the memory 503 stores machine-readable instructions executable by the processor 501. When the electronic device 500 is running, the processor 501 communicates with the memory 503 via the bus 504, and when the machine-readable instructions are invoked by the processor 501, they execute the steps of the preterm infant oral training method described above.
[0060] The above content is merely an embodiment of the present invention. Commonly known structures and characteristics of the solutions are not described in detail here. Those skilled in the art are aware of all common technical knowledge in the field prior to the application date or priority date, are aware of all existing technologies in that field, and have the ability to apply conventional experimental methods prior to that date. Those skilled in the art can improve and implement this solution based on the guidance provided in this application and their own capabilities. Some typical known structures or methods should not be obstacles for those skilled in the art to implement this application. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make several modifications and improvements without departing from the structure of the present invention. These should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention, and will not affect the effectiveness of the implementation of the present invention or the practicality of the patent. The scope of protection claimed in this application should be determined by the content of its claims, and the specific embodiments described in the specification can be used to interpret the content of the claims.
Claims
1. An oral training device for premature infants, characterized in that: The device includes a massage module, which comprises a massage head and a vibration sub-module, the vibration sub-module being able to drive the massage head to produce a vibration effect; and a heating module, used to collect the oral temperature of the premature infant and heat the massage head according to the oral temperature of the premature infant. The rotating module is used to drive the massage head to rotate inside the premature infant's mouth; the telescopic module is used to control the extension and retraction of the massage head. It also includes a motion control module, which controls the movement of the massage head and analyzes pressure data to obtain the activity of the premature infant's oral cavity in order to adjust the movement trajectory of the massage head; the motion control module also includes a training planning submodule. The mobile control module is also used to plan the training sequence based on the user's individual differences and training goals. Individual differences include age, gender, and health status. It generates the movement trajectory of the massage head according to the required training areas and training sequence; The optimal movement trajectory of the massage head is selected using an improved ant colony algorithm, which includes the following steps: An ant colony algorithm iterative model is constructed, and the model selection scheme corresponds to the change of massage head position over continuous time. Based on the distance and relative position between the training parts of the premature infant, a model is built in three-dimensional coordinates, and the starting node and target node are set according to the data of the training planning submodule. Initialize the ant colony algorithm parameters and place the ant colony at the source node. Let the ants select the next node in turn until all the ants reach the target node corresponding to the destination. Construct the node selection function: In the formula, Let be the probability that the k-th ant will move from node i to node j at iteration number n. The pheromone concentration transferred from node i to node j. Let be the visibility heuristic information variable for an ant moving from node i to node j. This variable represents the degree of heuristic effect of the ant's movement from node i to node j. The visibility heuristic information variable is related not only to the distance between the two nodes but also to the pressure applied to the massage head. and These are the pheromone factor and the pheromone concentration heuristic factor. This is a list of feasible nodes, where the nodes do not exist in the taboo list; Constructing the energy-degree heuristic function: in, Let i be the set of neighboring nodes. Let the pressure be the sum of the pressures on all neighboring nodes of node i. By analyzing the pressure on the current node and the direction of that pressure, we can predict the pressures on its neighboring nodes. Let be the distance between nodes i and j. The pressure currently experienced by node j, a neighbor of node i; Each ant in the ant colony starts from the node (0,0,0) and repeatedly executes the node selection function to select a node. It determines whether the ant has reached the target node. If it has not reached it, it continues to search for the next node until the ant reaches the target node. The nodes selected by the ant form a path. Construct the pheromone update function: In the formula, The updated pheromone concentration. For pheromone evaporation rate, The pheromone concentration before the update. Let be the increase in pheromone concentration when the k-th ant moves from node i to node j at iteration number n. For a fixed increase in pheromone concentration, The operating power of the massage stick is transferred from node i to node j. For power The power loss factor under the following conditions The weighting is determined by the impact of power loss. The rotation radius affects the weight. Let be the radius of rotation from node i to node j; Let be the length of the trajectory from node i to node j. The weights are influenced by the trajectory length. By adding a factor to the pheromone concentration and assigning random values within different ranges to different ants according to the rules in the formula, the pheromone concentration of different ants will show greater randomness differences, thereby changing the ants' enthusiasm for exploring new paths and avoiding local optima. Therefore, after the ants in the ant colony have traversed all the paths once, they update the pheromone concentration on each path according to the pheromone update function. Determine if the iteration termination condition is met. If so, terminate the iteration and select the path with the highest pheromone concentration as the massage head movement trajectory. Otherwise, repeat the iteration steps and the judgment steps.
2. The oral training device for premature infants according to claim 1, characterized in that: The massage module also includes several pressure sensors distributed on the surface of the massage head, which can detect the contact pressure between the massage head and the oral muscles in real time.
3. The oral training device for premature infants according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heating module is equipped with an overheat protection submodule, which automatically cuts off the power supply to the heating element when the temperature exceeds the set range.
4. A preterm infant oral training device according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that: It also includes a communication module for connecting to a control terminal via wired or wireless means, facilitating control of the device through the control terminal.
5. A preterm infant oral training device according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that: It also includes a recording module, which includes a motion sensor for detecting the movement trajectory and angle changes of the rotating module in the oral cavity, and analyzing the movement trajectory of the massage head in the oral cavity accordingly.
6. The oral training device for premature infants according to claim 5, characterized in that: The recording module is also used to mark the location of the massaged muscles in the oral cavity of premature infants and display them in a visual manner.