Oral Myofunctional Training Device

Abstract

The present invention relates to an oral muscle function training device, and more specifically, it is characterized by providing excellent training efficiency by simply replacing and connecting a mouthpiece head, which is worn by biting with the lips, to a housing body that is fitted with a balloon, thereby training the coordination of swallowing and breathing-related muscles optimally suitable for the user by utilizing the pressure behind the user's tongue and air pressure inside the oral cavity, while inducing balanced contraction of the left and right facial smile muscle areas and the formation of a smile line by biting the upper and lower lips, strengthening the base of the tongue to make swallowing easier, preventing swallowing disorders (difficulty swallowing), inducing nasal breathing, and training the user's lung capacity and respiratory muscles.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an oral muscle function training device, and more specifically, to an oral muscle function training device that trains the coordination of swallowing and breathing-related muscles using the user's posterior tongue pressure and oral air pressure. Background Technology

[0003] In general, various training methods for treatment or conditioning are provided to people with lung capacity and respiratory muscle disorders, as well as difficulties with swallowing saliva or dysphagia.

[0004] Among these, while drug-based treatments can provide temporary functional improvement, their effectiveness is limited and side effects due to drug overdose may occur; therefore, respiratory muscle training methods for functional enhancement have recently been gaining attention.

[0005] This respiratory muscle training method incorporates a backflow prevention valve inside a respiratory muscle training device with a balloon inlet inserted, allowing the user to bite the inlet of the respiratory muscle training device and generate airflow during exhalation above a certain pressure, thereby training the swallowing and breathing-related muscles using the pressure behind the user's tongue and air pressure inside the oral cavity.

[0006] However, the aforementioned conventional respiratory muscle training device had problems such as the inability to consider the size of the inlet according to the oral cavity size of the user (e.g., children or adults), difficulty in adjusting the open area allowing airflow within the internal passageway making stepwise training and optimal training tailored to the user's current situation difficult, and the inability to train oral muscles other than simple respiratory muscles, which made it difficult to provide the optimal and efficient training required by the user. The problem to be solved

[0008] The present invention is designed to solve the various problems associated with the aforementioned conventional technology. Its purpose is to provide excellent training efficiency by simply replacing and attaching a mouthpiece head, which is worn by biting with the lips, to a housing body that is fitted with a balloon, thereby training the coordination of swallowing and breathing-related muscles under optimal conditions suitable for the user by utilizing the pressure behind the user's tongue and air pressure inside the oral cavity, and by biting the upper and lower lips to induce balanced contraction of the left and right facial smile muscle areas and the formation of a smile line, while strengthening the base of the tongue to make swallowing easier, preventing swallowing disorders (difficulty swallowing), inducing nasal breathing, and training the user's lung capacity and respiratory muscles. means of solving the problem

[0010] The present invention is characterized by comprising: a housing body including a balloon coupling part for fitting and coupling a balloon opening at the front, a head coupling part at the rear, and a backflow prevention valve installed in a flow path formed internally front and back to allow only air flow in the exhalation direction at a pressure above a certain level; and a mouthpiece head including a coupling part at the front that is coupled to the head coupling part of the housing body, a neck part in the center, and an inlet part at the rear that is expanded to be inserted into the oral cavity, worn by biting and sealing with the upper and lower lips, and having an air hole penetrating a flow path formed internally front and back; wherein the mouthpiece head is replaced and fitted according to the user's oral curvature and muscle condition to train the coordination of muscles related to swallowing and breathing.

[0011] According to the present invention, the mouthpiece head is characterized by having a crescent-shaped curved groove formed on the upper surface where the user's upper lip contacts to press the upper lip downward, and a crescent-shaped curved protrusion formed on the lower surface where the lower lip contacts to press the lower lip upward, so that when the user bites and presses with the upper and lower lips, the corners of both mouths are formed at a curved angle, thereby inducing balanced contraction of the left and right facial smile muscles and the formation of a smile line.

[0012] According to the present invention, the mouthpiece head is formed by dividing it into a pediatric head and an adult head based on the external size of the inlet portion, and is further divided into beginner (Stage 1), intermediate (Stage 2), and advanced (Stage 3) heads based on the difference in the diameter of the through hole formed at the front of the internal flow path. The beginner head is characterized by having a relatively large diameter of the through hole so that the exhalation resistance is set to be the lowest, the intermediate head is formed with a diameter of the through hole smaller than that of the beginner head, and the advanced head is configured to have a diameter of the through hole smaller than that of the intermediate head (the smallest) so that the exhalation resistance is set to be the highest.

[0013] According to the present invention, the upper-level (3rd stage) head is characterized by forming an acoustic signal generating slit in a through hole of an internal flow path that generates an acoustic signal of a predetermined frequency by air passing through the through hole, and the acoustic signal generated from the acoustic signal generating slit is received and analyzed by a measurement application of an external terminal to calculate the user's breathing pressure data.

[0014] According to the present invention, the mouthpiece head is characterized by being configured to include a funnel-shaped flow guide on the inner side of the inlet so that the airflow generated by the reduction in oral volume due to the upward elevation movement of the rear part of the tongue moves along the internal flow path.

[0015] According to the present invention, the housing body is configured to control exhalation resistance by controlling the amount of air flow in the internal flow path by means of a variable control means, wherein the variable control means is characterized by installing a control dial on the outside of the housing body so as to be rotatable at a certain interval, installing a moving actuator that moves back and forth by rotating the control dial in the flow path inside the housing body, and forming a tapered diameter control part at the tip of the moving actuator so as to control exhalation resistance by varying the open area through which air can flow depending on the position in which the diameter control part is inserted into the through hole formed in front of the flow path inside the mouthpiece head when the moving actuator moves back and forth. Effects of the invention

[0017] The present invention is configured to simply replace and combine a housing body having a balloon attached to the front and a backflow prevention valve in the internal flow path, and a mouthpiece head worn by biting into it with the user's upper and lower lips. The mouthpiece head is replaced with a pediatric or adult version depending on the user's oral curvature and muscle condition, or the exhalation resistance is adjusted by changing the opening area through which internal air flow is possible using a separate variable adjustment means, thereby allowing the user to train efficiently under optimal conditions and providing various effects as follows.

[0018] First, the crescent-shaped curved grooves and protrusions formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the mouthpiece head cause the corners of the user's mouth to be formed at a bending angle when worn, thereby having the effect of inducing balanced contraction of the left and right facial smile muscles and forming a smile line.

[0019] Second, the process of blowing air into the oral cavity strengthens the base of the tongue to make swallowing easier immediately after training, and also has the effect of preventing swallowing disorders (dysphagia).

[0020] Third, by providing only exhalation-direction airflow at pressures above a certain level through a backflow prevention valve, it has the effect of inducing nasal breathing, allowing the user to naturally close their mouth and breathe through their nose.

[0021] Fourth, it has the effect of excellent training efficiency by allowing the user to gradually strengthen lung capacity and respiratory muscles while adjusting the user's exhalation resistance according to the open area where air flow is possible in the internal path. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0023] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the separated state of FIG. 1. FIGS. 3 and FIGS. 4 are cross-sectional configuration diagrams showing the intermediate and advanced versions of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the mouthpiece head of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the key part showing the usage state before and after operation of FIG. 6. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram showing the usage state of FIG. 1. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0024] The aforementioned objectives, signatures, and advantages are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings, thereby enabling those skilled in the art to easily implement the technical concept of the present invention. In describing the present invention, detailed descriptions of known technologies related to the present invention are omitted if it is determined that such descriptions would unnecessarily obscure the essence of the invention. Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to indicate the same or similar components.

[0026] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 and FIG. 8, the oral muscle function training device of the present invention is formed to have a housing body (10) and a mouthpiece head (20) respectively formed so as to be detachably coupled.

[0027] The above housing body (10) is configured to include a balloon coupling part (11) for fitting and coupling the inlet of a balloon (5) at the front, a head coupling part (12) for coupling a mouthpiece head (20) at the rear in various ways such as a forced fit or a spiral coupling, and a backflow prevention valve (14) installed in a flow path (13) formed inside front and back to allow only air flow in the exhalation direction at a certain pressure or higher.

[0028] The above backflow prevention valve (14) is not limited to the form shown in the drawing and can be configured in various forms.

[0029] For example, the above-mentioned backflow prevention valve (14) can be configured as a pressure-proportional self-sealing structure in which, when the opening / closing plate (14a) is in close contact with the step portion (15) by the elastic force of the elastic spring (14b) and exhales at a pressure above a certain level, the opening / closing plate separates from the step portion to provide airflow in the direction of exhalation, and when exhalation ends or when reverse pneumatic pressure is generated by the contraction pressure of the balloon, the opening / closing plate is restored to its original state and closes to the step portion.

[0030] The mouthpiece head (20) is configured to include a coupling part (21) that is coupled to the head coupling part (12) of the housing body at the front, a neck part (22) at the center, and an inlet part (23) that is extended at the rear to be inserted into the oral cavity and is worn by biting into it with the upper and lower lips, and has a passage (24) formed internally and an air hole that penetrates.

[0031] At this time, the mouthpiece head's opening (23) is configured such that a crescent-shaped curved groove (23a) is formed on the upper surface where the user's upper lip contacts to press the upper lip downward, and a crescent-shaped curved protrusion (23b) is formed on the lower surface where the lower lip contacts to press the lower lip upward, so that when the user bites and presses with the upper and lower lips, the corners of both mouths are formed at a curved angle, thereby inducing balanced contraction of the left and right facial smile muscles and the formation of a smile line.

[0032] In addition, the mouthpiece head is configured to be formed into a pediatric head and an adult head depending on the external size of the opening (23).

[0033] And the mouthpiece head (20) is formed into beginner (stage 1), intermediate (stage 2), and advanced (stage 3) heads based on the difference in the diameter of the through hole formed in front of the internal flow path, regardless of whether it is for children or adults. The beginner head is formed with a relatively large diameter of the through hole so that the exhalation resistance is set to be the lowest, the intermediate head is formed with a diameter of the through hole smaller than that of the beginner head, and the advanced head is formed with a diameter of the through hole smaller than that of the intermediate head (the smallest) so that the exhalation resistance is set to be the highest.

[0034] At this time, in addition to the three-stage division of the above-mentioned beginner, intermediate, and advanced heads, it may also be configured to be further subdivided into two or four or more stages.

[0035] In addition, the upper-level (3rd stage) head (20) is configured to form an acoustic signal generating slit (25) that generates an acoustic signal of a predetermined frequency by air passing through the through hole (24a) of the internal flow path, and the acoustic signal generated from the acoustic signal generating slit is received and analyzed by a measurement application of an external terminal not shown to calculate the user's breathing pressure data.

[0036] At this time, the external terminal can be configured to be formed integrally with the mouthpiece head (20) or formed separately.

[0037] Additionally, the mouthpiece head (20) is configured to include a funnel-shaped flow guide (23c) inside the inlet (23) so that the airflow generated by the reduction in oral volume due to the upward elevation movement of the rear part of the tongue moves along the internal flow path.

[0038] In addition, the housing body (10) of the present invention may be implemented differently as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, which can be configured to control the exhalation resistance by further installing a variable adjustment means (30) in the housing body to control the amount of air flow in the internal flow path of the housing body.

[0039] The above variable adjustment means (30) is configured such that an adjustment dial (31) is installed on the outside of the housing body so as to be rotatable at a certain interval, a moving actuator (35) that moves back and forth by the rotational adjustment of the adjustment dial is installed in the flow path inside the housing body, and a tapered diameter adjustment part (36) is formed at the tip of the moving actuator, thereby adjusting the exhalation resistance by varying the open area through which air can flow depending on the position in which the diameter adjustment part (36) is inserted into the through hole formed in front of the flow path inside the mouthpiece head when the moving actuator moves back and forth.

[0040] At this time, a nut (32) that rotates together with an adjustment dial (31) is connected and installed inside the housing body, and a moving actuator (35) is spirally coupled to the nut, and configured so that the moving actuator is guided to move back and forth by a guide groove (35a) that is guided along the guide, along with spiral operation by the rotation of the adjustment dial.

[0041] And, a silicone O-ring or diaphragm partition is configured to form between the housing body (10) and the mouthpiece head (20) for a hermetic connection.

[0042] As an unexplained symbol, 23d represents a groove formed inside the mouthpiece head's entrance (23).

[0044] Next, we will examine the operation and function of the present invention configured as described above.

[0045] First, the mouthpiece head (20) is attached to the housing body (10) to prepare it.

[0046] At this time, the mouthpiece head (20) is combined by selecting a pediatric head or an adult head according to the user's condition, for example, the user's oral condition, and by selecting and combining a beginner (level 1), intermediate (level 2), and advanced (level 3) head according to the user's level of training.

[0047] In other words, the above-mentioned beginner head has a relatively large diameter of the through hole, so the exhalation resistance is set to be the lowest; the above-mentioned intermediate head has a diameter of the through hole smaller than that of the beginner head; and the above-mentioned advanced head has a diameter of the through hole smaller than that of the intermediate head (the smallest), so the exhalation resistance is set to be the highest, allowing the user to select and combine a head suitable for their level of training.

[0048] In this way, after combining the housing body (10) and the mouthpiece head (20), the opening of the balloon (5) is inserted into the balloon coupling part (11) at the front of the housing body as shown in FIG. 8.

[0049] In this prepared state, the user wears the mouthpiece head (20) by biting the opening (23) from the top and bottom with their upper and lower lips to ensure a tight fit.

[0050] At this time, the user's upper lip is brought downward into contact with the crescent-shaped curved groove (23a) formed on the upper surface of the head, and the lower lip is brought upward into contact with the crescent-shaped curved protrusion (23b) formed on the lower surface of the head.

[0051] In this way, when the user wears the mouthpiece head by biting the opening (23) with their upper and lower lips to ensure close contact, the upper and lower lips come into close contact with the crescent-shaped curved groove (23a) and the curved protrusion (23b), thereby forming the corners of the user's mouth at a curved angle, which induces balanced contraction of the left and right facial smile muscles and the formation of a smile line.

[0052] In this way, when the user wears it, air generated during exhalation above a certain pressure is injected into the balloon (5) through the airway (24) of the mouthpiece head (20) and the airway (13) of the housing body (10) using the pressure behind the tongue and the air pressure inside the oral cavity, thereby inflating the balloon.

[0053] At this time, a backflow prevention valve (14) is installed inside the housing body, so that when exhaled at a pressure above a certain level, the backflow prevention valve opens to allow air flow, and when exhalation ends or when reverse high pressure is generated due to the contraction pressure of the balloon, the backflow prevention valve closes again to induce nasal breathing (nose breathing) in which the user naturally closes their mouth and breathes through their nose.

[0054] During this process, coordinated contraction of the muscles behind the tongue, the soft palate, and around the pharynx is induced.

[0055] While repeating this training, the user performs progressive training by replacing the mouthpiece head (20) with a beginner (level 1), intermediate (level 2), and advanced (level 3) head.

[0056] In particular, the above-mentioned upper-grade (3rd stage) head (20) forms an acoustic signal generating slit (25) in the through hole (24a) of the internal flow path, thereby generating an acoustic signal of a predetermined frequency by the air passing through the through hole.

[0057] And the acoustic signal generated from the above-mentioned acoustic signal generating slit is received and analyzed by the measurement application of an external terminal to calculate the user's breathing pressure data, thereby enabling optimal training tailored to the user.

[0058] In addition, the present invention can promote optimal training suitable for the user by controlling the amount of air flow in the internal flow path of the housing body by means of a variable adjustment means (30) further installed in the housing body (10), thereby controlling the exhalation resistance.

[0059] That is, by rotating the adjustment dial (31) on the outside of the housing body by a certain interval, the moving actuator (35) moves back and forth, and by varying the opening area where air flow is possible depending on the position where the tapered diameter adjustment part (36) at the tip of the moving actuator is inserted into the through hole (24a) formed in front of the flow path inside the mouthpiece head, it is possible to adjust the exhalation resistance and promote optimal training suitable for the user.

[0060] In addition, the present invention induces the user to move the airflow generated by the reduction in oral volume due to the upward elevation movement of the rear part of the tongue during exhalation through the airflow guide (23c) formed in the inner side of the inlet part (23) of the mouthpiece head, thereby inducing repetitive movement of the user's tongue root and suprahyoid muscle group.

[0061] Accordingly, the present invention allows for optimal training of the coordination of swallowing and breathing-related muscles suitable for the user by simply replacing and attaching a mouthpiece head that is bitten with the lips to a housing body that is fitted with a balloon, utilizing the user's posterior tongue pressure and oral air pressure, while inducing balanced contraction of the left and right facial smile muscle areas and the formation of a smile line by biting the upper and lower lips, strengthening the base of the tongue to make swallowing easier, preventing swallowing disorders (difficulty swallowing), inducing nasal breathing, and training the user's lung capacity and respiratory muscles. Explanation of the symbols

[0063] 10: Housing body 11: Balloon connector 12: Head joint 13: Euro 14: Check valve 20: Mouthpiece head 21: Joint 22: Neck 23: Entrance 23a: Curved groove 23b: Curved rock 23c: Euro guide 24: Euro 24a: Through hole 25: Acoustic signal generating slit 30: Variable adjustment means 31: Control dial 35: Moving actuator 36: Diameter adjustment part

Claims

Claim 1 A housing body (10) comprising a balloon coupling part (11) for fitting and coupling the inlet of a balloon (5) at the front, a head coupling part (12) at the rear, and a backflow prevention valve (14) installed in a passage (13) formed internally front and back to allow only air flow in the exhalation direction at a certain pressure or higher; and a mouthpiece head (20) comprising a coupling part (21) coupled to the head coupling part (12) of the housing body at the front, a neck part (22) in the center, and an inlet part (23) formed to be expanded at the rear to be inserted into the oral cavity, worn by biting and pressing with the upper and lower lips, and having an air hole penetrating a passage (24) formed internally front and back, wherein the mouthpiece head (20) is replaced and fitted according to the user's oral curvature and muscle condition to train the coordination of swallowing and breathing-related muscles, and wherein the inlet part (23) of the mouthpiece head (20) is configured to press the upper lip downwardly against the upper surface where the user's upper lip contacts. An oral muscle function training device characterized by having a crescent-shaped curved groove (23a) formed therein and a crescent-shaped curved protrusion (23b) formed on the lower surface where the lower lip contacts to press the lower lip upward, so that when the user wears it to press the upper and lower lips together, the corners of the mouth on both sides are formed at a curved angle, thereby inducing balanced contraction movement of the left and right facial smile muscles and the formation of a smile line. Claim 2 delete Claim 3 In claim 1, the mouthpiece head (20) is formed into a pediatric head and an adult head according to the external size of the inlet part, and is formed into a beginner (stage 1), intermediate (stage 2), and advanced (stage 3) head according to the difference in diameter of the through hole (24a) formed in front of the internal flow path, wherein the beginner head is formed with a relatively large diameter of the through hole so that the exhalation resistance is set to be the lowest, the intermediate head is formed with a diameter of the through hole smaller than that of the beginner head, and the advanced head is formed with a diameter of the through hole smaller than that of the intermediate head (smallest) so that the exhalation resistance is set to be the highest. Claim 4 In paragraph 3, the oral muscle function training device is characterized in that the upper level (3rd level) head (20) forms an acoustic signal generating slit (25) that generates an acoustic signal of a predetermined frequency by air passing through the through hole (24a) of the internal flow path, and the acoustic signal generated from the acoustic signal generating slit is received and analyzed by a measurement application of an external terminal to calculate the user's breathing pressure data. Claim 5 The oral muscle function training device according to claim 1, characterized in that the mouthpiece head (20) is configured to include a funnel-shaped flow guide (23c) inside the inlet (23) so that the airflow generated by the reduction in oral volume due to the upward elevation movement of the rear part of the tongue moves along the internal flow path. Claim 6 In claim 1, the housing body (10) is configured to control exhalation resistance by controlling the amount of air flow in the internal flow path by means of a variable control means (30), wherein the variable control means (30) is configured such that a control dial (31) is installed on the outside of the housing body so as to be rotatable at a certain interval, a moving actuator (35) that moves back and forth by rotating the control dial is installed in the flow path inside the housing body, and a tapered diameter control part (36) is formed at the tip of the moving actuator so as to control exhalation resistance by varying the open area through which air flow is possible depending on the position in which the diameter control part (36) is inserted into the through hole formed in front of the flow path inside the mouthpiece head when the moving actuator moves back and forth.

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