Differential Pressure Mask Monitoring for Natural Breath Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing respiratory monitoring technologies require clinical settings and tethered equipment, limiting the collection of breath data to short periods and failing to capture natural breathing patterns outside controlled environments, which are crucial for diagnosing and monitoring respiratory conditions.
Innovation Solution
A self-contained mask with differential pressure sensors collects breath data over extended periods, allowing for continuous monitoring during everyday activities, and a system analyzes this data to determine respiratory metrics and features, identifying conditions like OSA, BPD, and CSR without clinical constraints.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If clinical setting monitoring is used, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and loss of time are increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential breathing monitoring function from complex clinical equipment and implements it in a simplified, self-contained mask. The differential pressure sensor system captures breath data independently without requiring external clinical monitoring equipment, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining measurement precision for identifying respiratory conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The mask system performs self-contained monitoring of respiratory parameters using integrated differential pressure sensors. The system independently collects, processes, and analyzes breath data without requiring external clinical equipment or operator intervention, enabling autonomous operation in natural environments while maintaining diagnostic accuracy.
2Measurement precision
If clinical setting monitoring is used, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of time is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables continuous breath data collection over extended periods through the self-contained mask system. Unlike time-limited clinical monitoring, the mask can operate continuously during daily activities, capturing breathing patterns throughout the day without interruption, thereby eliminating time loss while maintaining measurement precision through uninterrupted data acquisition.
3Measurement precision
If tethered equipment is used, then measurement precision is improved, but ease of operation is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the tethered equipment constraint from the monitoring system, extracting the essential measurement function and embedding it in a portable mask. This enables the system to operate freely during natural daily activities without physical constraints, improving ease of operation while preserving breath data accuracy through the differential pressure sensing system.
4Productivity
If extended period monitoring is implemented, then productivity is improved, but device complexity is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple functions into a single self-contained mask system: the differential pressure sensors, processing unit, and data storage are integrated into one portable device. This unified design enables extended period monitoring to improve productivity by capturing comprehensive breath data throughout the day without requiring multiple separate systems or complex external equipment.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables accurate identification and monitoring of respiratory conditions outside clinical settings by capturing natural breathing patterns, providing insights into health and wellness through continuous data collection and analysis.
Implementation Method 1
at least one differential pressure sensor, coupled to the mask, configured to measure a difference in air pressure between the ambient space and the interior space
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for gathering and analyzing respiratory information concerning a subject are disclosed. The techniques may involve determining a plurality of metrics concerning respiration by a subject over time. Metrics concerning respiration by the subject may be compared to determine one or more respiratory features of the subject. Such respiratory feature(s) may then be used to identify at least one respiratory condition which the subject exhibits or is at risk of exhibiting.