Patent Application
20080294061
a) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a gaming device and a method using the same. More particularly, the invention relates to a health care gaming device which uses sensors to measure pulmonary function and games to train lungs and a method using the same.
b) Description of the Related Art
Along with the advancement of information industries and increasing needs in consumer entertainment, gaming products and accessories are flourishing, among which video game consoles like Xbox and Playstation are popular to people of different classes, and ways to control and play games are becoming more human-friendly. Conventional control methods use buttons to control an on-screen target in response to game scenario, and a user can enjoy the game in the playing process. However, in proceeding the game, the user is often kept in one posture and mainly controls the on-screen target with hands only. This will induce harms to body functions after a long duration of playing, which is a problem that cannot be overlooked.
In recent years, people are more concerned about medical and health issues, especially physical and mental illness testing. Therefore, consumer electronic medical or health products are more common in households because they are portable, easily operable, suitable for personal or family use, and not limited by time or place, which allows users to know their current health condition and achieves prevention and health purposes.
Physiological functions of lungs are primarily determined based on readings of many pulmonary function tests, including: forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV1), total forced expiratory volume, . . . etc. Most people use pulmonary function testers to obtain the readings that are generated to help them understand personal pulmonary condition or to be provided to doctors for diagnosis. In addition, asthma patients can also use pulmonary function testers to check whether their respiration is normal, so as to prevent sudden occurrence of the illness.
Some pulmonary function testers are used for training lungs, whose purpose is to prevent complications of atelectasis after surgery by observing airflow of deep breathes in normal condition repeated for a period of time to simulate or restitute the lung pressure or vital capacity of a healthy state. Since these respiratory trainings only provides pure data observation, and the time of each respiratory training session must be consistent to achieve expected result, there may be incomplete breathing in the process that the user is not aware of, or at times the training duration is prolonged or the expected result is not achieved because the user has lost patience. Hence, the training would lose its meaning.
There are currently two types of pulmonary function testers—floating ball type and fan type. The floating ball type tester uses the principle of a lightweight sphere being lifted by wind force. When a sphere is placed in a confined space and is floating due to air filling therein, the changes to the floating sphere is recorded and converted to obtain data relating to vital capacity. However, for the floating ball type tester, a sphere would flap irregularly when force is applied unevenly, and so in consideration for accuracy, the required structural precision and cost rise in proportion. Hence, data obtained by floating ball type testers is primary for reference only.
The fan type tester uses a light sensor and fan blades to obtain data. We explain how a fan type tester operates in the following. After air is blown into the tester through a blowing tube, the fan blades rotate due to airflow, then the fan blades and the spaces between fan blades in turn pass by the sensing point of the light sensor for the light sensor to detect the number of high-low potentials which are then transmitted by electronic circuit to microprocessor for analysis and comparison. Subsequently, the reference data for pulmonary function is converted from preset values according to the level of air blown. However, the structure of this kind of testers is more complicated, making it harder to disassemble and clean and having higher cost, and therefore the price and usage convenience of fan type testers are not satisfactory.
Therefore, accurately measuring pulmonary functions with lower cost and increasing lung training efficiency with intriguing routine are the objects of the invention.
An object of the invention is to provide a health care gaming device that allows a user to measure his pulmonary function and use games for lung training, and a method using the same.
A health care gaming device of the invention includes: a case, which can be placed on a platform or handheld by a user; at least one communicating tube provided in the case; an inflow/outflow unit connected to the communicating tube, for the user to exhale and inhale gas; at least one sensor connected to the communicating tube, for sensing gas inflow/outflow and detecting gas flow; a processing unit provided in the case and connected to the sensor, for measuring pulmonary function and executing games; a display unit connected to the processing unit; and a keying unit connected to the processing unit, for the user to select functions of the gaming device, set game parameters, and play games; wherein the sensor generates a sensed deformation due to gas flowing in the communicating tube, and the processing unit analyzes the sensed deformation and converts the analytical result to measurement data for pulmonary function or uses the analytical result as game data for proceeding games, while the display unit displays the measurement data and the game pictures. The gaming device further includes a hand-pressing device for game operation and hand exercise.
The invention also discloses a method using a health care gaming device, wherein the health care gaming device includes: an inflow/outflow unit, at least one sensor, a processing unit, and a display unit. The method includes steps of: a user selecting measuring function or training function of the gaming device; the user exhaling and inhaling gas by using the inflow/outflow unit; the sensor sensing gas inflow/outflow and detecting gas flow; the processing unit analyzing the gas inflow/outflow; when the user selects the training function, the processing unit using the analytical result as game data and the display unit displaying the game pictures; and when the user selects the measuring function, the processing unit converts the analytical result to measurement data for pulmonary function and the display unit displaying such data.
The health care gaming device according to the invention is a gaming device that is capable of accurately measuring pulmonary function and operable by respiration. Besides, the gaming device can be utilized with peripheral units. With the gaming device, not only can a user understand his pulmonary condition, the user can also conduct respiration in response to the game scenario, which helps to increase or restitute lung pressure or inspiratory volume. Moreover, the gaming device can also include a hand operation mode in which a hand-pressing device for massaging hand muscles is used, inputting a different game controlling mode to an original operation mode, and together with the variations in game content, the user can have fun with the games while achieving the purpose of health care.
The health care gaming device and the method using the same according to preferred embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings, in which like reference numerals denote like elements.
A health care gaming device of the invention has a main structure as shown in
The health care gaming device according to a preferred embodiment of the invention has the following characteristics: 1) the inflow/outflow unit of the means for gas inflow/outflow 12 is a detachable conduit, which is easy to store and clean; 2) the sensing element 13 is disposed inside the communicating tube of the means for gas inflow/outflow 12 with its sensing point positioned in front of the outlet of the inflow/outflow conduit, facing the center point of the conduit outlet. Such design is to ensure gas flowing through the inflow/outflow conduit would directly advance to the sensing point, resulting in a deformation in the sensing element 13. The deformation is transformed into a potential change. The processing unit 14 then processes the potential change and accurately calculates data for pulmonary function. The signal value received by the processing unit 14 is a potential signal that is transformed from the external physical changes of the sensing element 13. The processing unit 14 magnifies and filters the potential signal before performing an analog-to-digital conversion thereto. The potential signal is converted from an analog signal to a digital signal, from which the processing unit 14 obtains set readings, for example, the maximum value, total value, etc, and these set readings are displayed by the display unit 15. The changes sensed by the sensing element 13, or the changes in digital signals which are converted into movement values in the game, can be seen from the displayed result.
While using the game function, the preferred embodiment is characterized in that the display unit 15 displays the game content and game pictures, and through the tempo changes in the game scenario, the user uses the means for gas inflow/outflow 12 to control on-screen targets, making breathing a cyclic control.
According to an embodiment of the gaming device of the invention, the principles used in the conversion of gas flow to potential signals are:
1) relationship between flow Q and pressure P (Bernoulli Equation);
2) relationship between pressure P and force F (F=PA, A being the cross-sectional area); and
3) relationship between force F and potential signals.
The variation relationship of the gas flow and the potential can be obtained by utilizing these equations. As illustrated in
Referring to
The blowing device 22 and the inhalation device 23 constitute the aforementioned inflow/outflow unit. As shown in
The pair of hollow spherical handles 28 and the flexible tubes 29 constitute the aforementioned hand-pressing device 18. As shown in
The PCB 26 serves as the aforementioned processing unit 14. Functions of the PCB 26 include: (1) analog signal processing functions like magnifying, filtering, voltage regulation, and voltage step-down; (2) digital processing functions like those of a microprocessor; and (3) other functions like analog-to-digital conversion, timing, storage, driving games, radio frequency or other external connection. The PCB 26 also has transmit ports 37 for external connection, including a computer connecting port 37a and a television connecting port 37b, for data or game transmission, and an audio connecting port 37c for connecting to an external speaker.
The buttons 24 and the arrow keypad 25 constitute the aforementioned keying unit 16 and are separately provided on the left and right sides of the upper casing 21a, for selecting functions and operating games. The television 27, serving as the aforementioned display unit 15, is used for the user to read data relating to pulmonary functions or for showing game pictures. According to another embodiment, the health care gaming device 4 of the invention further includes a display screen 42 disposed on the surface of the upper casing, as illustrated in
Referring to
When the selected function of the gaming device is executed and complete, the user can reselect a function of the gaming device or choose to turn it off (S540). If the user selects the pulmonary measurement function of the device, the gaming device returns to step S520, and if the user selects the lung-training function, the gaming device returns to step S530.
In the course of the pulmonary measurement function, the user blows gas into the blowing conduit 31, and the speed of gas flow increases due to a pressure generated at the converging outlet 31a, whereby the gas directly advances to the sensing point of the elastic sensor 33 after exiting the blowing conduit 31. An elastic deformation is generated at the elastic sensor 33 in response to the gas flow and the deformation is detected and converted by the PCB 26 for calculation and processing, therefore generating respiratory data of the user. The data is then displayed by the television 27, or by a computer or other device connected to the computer transmit port 37a or other transmit port (not illustrated), respectively. Alternatively, if the gaming device is provided with a display screen 42, the data can be shown by the display screen 42.
In the course of the lung-training function, the execution of game content is as shown in
The exhalation function 66 refers to the course of action in which gas is blown into the blowing conduit 31, flows out of the converging outlet 31a, advances to the elastic sensor 33, and exits via the gas flow guide 34. When the gas passes the elastic sensor 33, the elastic sensor 33 deforms due to the gas flow and the deformation is processed by the PCB 26 as described above. The inhalation function 67 refers to the course of action in which gas is inhaled from a diverging outlet 35, which generates a pulling force in the outlet 35, and the pulling force is conveyed by the flexible conduit 36 through the gas intake 39 into the inside of the main body 21. The gas is detected by the elastic sensor 83, resulting in a deformation of the elastic sensor 83, which deformation is then processed by the PCB 26 connected to the elastic sensor 83. The hand-pressing function 68 refers to the course of action in which a pressure generated by the hollow spherical handles 28 is conveyed by the tubes 29 and enters the inside of the main body 21 through the vents 38. The pressure is detected by the elastic sensor 87, resulting in a deformation of the elastic sensor 87, which deformation is then processed by the PCB 26 connected to the elastic sensor 87.
For instance, if the game is designed to control a running person by gas flow, wherein gas flow is used to represent the running speed, exhalation is used to represent running at the left side, inhalation is used to represent running at the right side, and the time for running at one side is 5 seconds. When time is up the running person is forced to run at the other side or the game is over, the user can breath in accordance with the game design to an operation cycle of 5 seconds inhalation and 5 seconds exhalation. Moreover, the game can be designed such that stones appear randomly during the game and the user needs to control the character to jump over the stones by hand force. The game is proceeded in this way and a game result is displayed (S534) at the end. The user can do respiratory and hand exercises while playing the game, which enhances the function of the game.
According to preferred embodiments of the invention, the sensing element 13 can be an elastic or piezoelectric sensing element. The processing unit 14 includes an electronic circuit, a processor, and game content, wherein the processing unit 14 can be a PCB board or a combination element that is capable of executing the functions of the abovementioned elements. The display unit 15 can be a computer, a television or a display screen. The blowing device and the inhalation device of the inflow/outflow unit can be worn on the ear or head for the convenience of the user. The gas intake 39, which plays a part in the inhalation mechanism, can be connected to a long conduit instead of the original inhalation device 23 for connecting with other breathing devices. The inhalation device 23 can also be connected to other gas generating devices, for example, an oxygen concentrator or an aroma generator.
While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of the preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. To the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements as would be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretations so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 96118783 | May 2007 | TW | national |
