Respiratory Muscle Training Device for Sleep Apnea
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for addressing sleep apnea, such as negative pressure breathing therapy, require external equipment and are passive, making them complex, costly, and inefficient in terms of space usage.
Innovation Solution
A method and device that uses adjustable resistance to simulate respiratory tract obstruction during inhalation or exhalation, combined with nasal inhalation and conscious diaphragm contraction, to strengthen the upper respiratory tract dilator muscles autonomously.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If negative pressure breathing therapy is used to prevent sleep apnea, then upper respiratory tract patency is improved, but device complexity and equipment cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables users to autonomously train their respiratory tract muscles through exercise, allowing the body's own muscles to strengthen and maintain patency without requiring external vacuum sources or complex equipment. The training device simply provides resistance, while the user's diaphragm and respiratory muscles do the work of strengthening themselves.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the active role from external equipment and transfers it to the user's own respiratory muscles. Instead of using a vacuum source to actively maintain patency, the system removes the external active component and relies on the user's strengthened muscles to passively maintain the airway open during sleep.
2Reliability
If negative pressure breathing therapy is used to maintain respiratory tract patency, then sleep apnea is prevented, but space occupancy and equipment cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The training device is compact and portable, enabling users to train at home without occupying significant space. The strengthened muscles then maintain patency autonomously during sleep, eliminating the need for large vacuum sources and complex equipment that would otherwise be required to prevent sleep apnea.
3Strength
If adjustable resistance is applied during inhalation to train respiratory muscles, then muscle strength is improved, but breathing difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The resistance is adjustable and can be modified based on the user's training progress and comfort level. The device allows users to start with lower resistance and gradually increase it as their muscles strengthen, dynamically adapting the training intensity to maintain ease of operation while improving muscle strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The training involves periodic inhalation and exhalation cycles with resistance applied during specific phases. This periodic action allows the user to experience breathing difficulty only during the training exercises, while normal breathing remains easy between training sessions, as the strengthened muscles maintain patency during sleep.
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
The solution effectively strengthens the upper respiratory tract dilator muscles, enhancing their tension during sleep to prevent obstruction and thereby addressing the root cause of sleep apnea.
Implementation Method 1
simulating respiratory tract obstruction during the user's inhalation process so as to result in negative pressure within the respiratory tract
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides a method for training respiratory muscles comprising steps of setting a respiratory resistance, setting a training standard information, proceeding training procedure such that user performs at least one times of inhaling exercise or exhaling exercise under the respirator resistance so as to reach the training standard information. Alternatively, the present invention also provides apparatus for implementing the method. By means of adjusting the respiratory resistance for simulating breathing obstruction during the inhaling exercise or exhaling exercise, and setting inhaling or exhaling objective, the user could breathe according to the inhaling or exhaling objective, whereby the effect of training respiratory muscles could be achieved through the breathing exercises. We also use monitor devices on mask, mouth piece, pharyngeal muscle groups, abdominal or chest to ensure the trained muscle group function graded increment.