Respiratory Event Classifier for Targeted Sleep Therapy

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing diagnostic and control systems for respiratory events during sleep often trigger unnecessary stimulation due to inadequate differentiation between types of airway obstructions, leading to inefficient energy use and limited therapeutic effectiveness.

Innovation Solution

A diagnostic and control system that includes detectors to recognize respiratory events and their causative obstruction types, using classifiers to process patient signals and generate targeted control signals for therapy apparatuses, ensuring that stimulation is only applied when effective for the specific obstruction type present.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If stimulation is applied to counteract respiratory events, then therapeutic effectiveness is improved, but energy consumption increases and sleep is disturbed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetherapeutic effectivenessVSAvoidenergy consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The system changes the parameter of stimulation application by using classification to determine whether stimulation is actually needed. The classifier analyzes patient signals to distinguish between different types of respiratory events, and only triggers stimulation when the event type matches the therapy's indication, thereby reducing unnecessary energy consumption while maintaining therapeutic effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If stimulation is applied to counteract respiratory events, then therapeutic effectiveness is improved, but sleep structure is disturbed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetherapeutic effectivenessVSAvoidsleep disturbance

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system changes the parameter of stimulation application by using classification to determine whether stimulation is actually needed. The classifier analyzes patient signals to distinguish between different types of respiratory events, and only triggers stimulation when the event type matches the therapy's indication, thereby reducing unnecessary sleep disturbance while maintaining therapeutic effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If respiratory events are detected without differentiation of obstruction types, then detection coverage is improved, but unnecessary stimulation is triggered

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedetection coverageVSAvoidenergy waste

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the detection process into two stages: first, a broad detection of respiratory events to ensure comprehensive coverage, and second, a classification step that divides events into different obstruction types. This segmentation allows the system to maintain high detection coverage while avoiding unnecessary stimulation by only acting on events that match the therapy's indication.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the parameter of detection by adding a classification dimension. Instead of simply detecting the presence of respiratory events, the system classifies them into different obstruction types based on signal characteristics, enabling selective stimulation that reduces energy waste while maintaining comprehensive detection coverage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

4Device complexity

If a predetermined type of stimulation is used, then device complexity is reduced, but therapeutic effectiveness is limited

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetherapy delivery simplicityVSAvoidtherapeutic effectiveness

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system introduces dynamics by using a classifier to adaptively determine when and how to apply stimulation based on the detected obstruction type. While the therapy apparatus itself remains relatively simple with a predetermined stimulation type, the control system dynamically adjusts stimulation application based on real-time classification of respiratory events, thereby maintaining device simplicity while improving therapeutic effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentUS20250009250A1Diagnostic, control and therapy system for identifying and treating respiratory events occurring whilst sleeping

Publication Date: 2025.01.09 DIAMETOS GMBH

AI summary

The present invention relates to a diagnostic and control system (10) for continuously identifying respiratory events and their respective causal obstruction types (O1-O4) for airways of a sleeping patient and for a counteracting control of a therapy apparatus (6), comprising:a) a first detector (1) which receives at least one first patient signal and identifies exceeding of the upper or lower limit of a predetermined tolerance range by the first patient signal and generates a respiratory event signal (1b) on the basis thereof,b) a second detector (2) which receives the first and/or at least one second patient signal and processes this as a classifier in order to identify a first obstruction type (O1-O4) therefrom, and which outputs a corresponding obstruction type signal (2b); andc) a control unit (4) which processes the event signal (1b) and the obstruction type signal (2b) and which generates a control signal (4b) for controlling the therapy apparatus (6) if the event signal (1b) is positive and the obstruction type signal (2b) corresponds to the first obstruction type (O1-O4).