BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A randomly interrupted breathing device in accordance with the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 shows the arrangement of a valve within a conduit with inlet and outlet;
FIG. 2 shows a vertical cross section of a rotary valve configuration;
FIG. 3 shows a detachable head device incorporating a rotary valve configuration;
FIG. 4 shows an exploded view of a diaphragm solenoid valve controlled random vibration handset;
FIG. 5 is a schematic part view of a double motor device with valves in series;
FIG. 6 is a schematic part view of a double motor device with valves in parallel;
FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a basic monitoring sensor facility;
FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a monitoring sensor facility incorporating feedback;
FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a complete monitoring facility;
FIGS. 10
a, 10b, 10c illustrate valve plugs with differing chords;
FIG. 11 is a graph of the effects of varying the form of the face of the valve plug;
FIG. 12 is a schematic side section of an alternative head;
FIG. 13 is a schematic plan section of the alternative head illustrated in FIG. 12;
FIG. 14 illustrates manually operable device;
FIG. 15 illustrates a clockwork device; and
FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram of a device employing magnets.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIG. 1 there is a fluid flow conduit 10 provided at an inlet 11 end thereof with a restrictor 12 to provide a background breathing resistance when in use and having a mouthpiece end 13. A valve 14 is placed in series in the conduit 10 to provide a pulsed resistance. A control circuit device, not shown, controls the frequency of operation of the valve and is capable of randomly changing the timing of the valve closure. Vibration frequencies between 5 Hz and 100 Hz have been found to provide best results in terms of beneficial lung and diaphragm development to improve oxygen uptake and waste gas removal in human subjects.
The valve 14 is shown in greater detail in FIG. 2 which depicts the valve in a detachable head device, the complete device being illustrated in FIG. 3 and described in co-pending UK patent application 0617349.6 (corresponding to U.S. application Ser. No. ______, entitled PORTABLE BREATHING DEVICE (attorney Docket No. 330-048), filed on even date), the specification of which is incorporated by reference herein. There is a valve body with a closed face 14a and a relieved face 14b supported on a shaft 14c and offset and normal to the conduit axis by a distance (xii).
The alternative embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4 comprises a handset consisting of two body halves 30a, 30b which retain a solenoid diaphragm valve 31. The valve is connected to a mouthpiece 32 via a short tube 33 and a push-fit union 34. Two screws clamp the body halves 30a, 30b together. Control and power cables (not shown) exit from the solenoid valve through an aperture 35 in the lower sections of the body halves which are strain relieved by clamps secured by fasteners 36. An external power source provides a series of random pulses to the solenoid valve which opens and closes an internal diaphragm superposed in the fluid flow path. A user breathing through the mouthpiece may inhale or exhale and through the action of the small tube 33 experience a resistance to breathing. In addition to this fixed resistance, the random opening and closing of the valve provides a further pulsed restriction in fluid flow that provides a random addition load during the inhale/exhale breathing cycle.
The alternative embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5 has a mouthpiece 117 and an inlet 118 linked by a conduit 121. Across the conduit are two rotary valves 130, 140 in series. The valves are driven by motors 131, 141 respectively. The motor 131 is arranged to operate at constant speed while the motor 141 is arranged to operate at a constantly varying speed. The valves 131, 141 are constructed to occlude airflow for a very small arc of their rotation to arrive at an acceptable base flow occlusion. By this arrangement a considerable variation of occlusion rate is obtained.
The alternative embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6 has a mouthpiece 217 with two associated inlets 218, 218a linked by parallel conduits 221, 221a. Across each conduit 221, 221a is a valve 230, 240 driven by motors 231, 241 respectively. The motor 231 is arranged to operate at constant speed while the motor 241 is arranged to operate at a constantly varying speed.
The motors 131, 141, 231, 241 are conventional DC brush motors and gearboxes permit the valves to rotate at speeds considerably lower than the motors. Stepper motors could be employed instead.
The device incorporates means for monitoring and analysing a user's performance. A simple such means is illustrated in FIG. 7 which shows a conduit 100 having an inlet 101, a mouthpiece 102 and a valve 107. These correspond to the conduit 10, inlet 11, mouthpiece 13 and valve 14 described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. Exterior to the conduit is an ambient sensor 103 of temperature and pressure. Inside the conduit 100, inboard of the mouthpiece 102, is a “user side” sensor 104 of temperature and pressure. Inside the conduit 100, just inboard of the inlet 101, is an inlet sensor 105 of temperature and pressure. The three sensors are connected to a data processor 106. The sensors 103, 104, 105 may also detect relative humidity.
FIG. 8 illustrates means such as that described above with reference to FIG. 7 but incorporating a feedback facility 108,
FIG. 9 illustrates a number of different ways in which output from the data processor 106 can be utilised. An on-board display or warning device 109 provides real time performance information to the user, his medical adviser or his trainer. An on-board data storage device 110 stores performance data for recordal and subsequent analysis. A remote data storage, processing, viewing management and control system 111 is associated with the data processor 106 either via cable 112 or wireless (radio, infra-red, blue tooth) link 113.
FIGS. 10
a, 10b, 10c illustrate schematically valve plugs with different degrees of “cut-away”. In FIG. 10a, most of the valve is “cut away” and the axis of rotation of the plug 300 lies within the boundaries of the conduit 301. This construction is produced by having a base to the plug, not shown, disposed beneath the conduit and associated with a drive shaft. Its effect is to produce a large valve opening time in relation to closed time, per revolution. In FIG. 10b the plug axis is tangential to the conduit boundary, approximately half the cylinder forming the valve is “cut away” and valve open and closed times per revolution are approximately equal. In FIG. 10c the plug axis is outside the conduit and less than half the cylinder forming the valve is “cut away”. In this case during each revolution the valve is closed for longer than it is open.
Of course the face of the valve does not have to be planar and some modification of the airflow waveform can be obtained by varying it. FIG. 11 compares the effects of a face which is somewhat concave or somewhat convex compared to one which is planar. The planar face valve defines a flow variation which is substantially sinusoidal. A concave face generates a shallower rate of area presentation while a concave face will cause an earlier start to the cut-off and a gentler rate of opening near to maximum.
Another embodiment of the device, a disc valve version, is illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13. The head 400 defines a conduit in two parts 401a, 401b having an inlet 402 and a mouthpiece 403. The axes of the two parts of the conduit are offset and parallel. Between them is sited a disc valve 404 mounted on a drive shaft 405 and a co-operating valve base plate 406. As shown the valve 404 and the base plate 406 are irregularly foraminous. A variety of forms of perforation of the valve 404 and the plate 406 are possible. Different shapes of the cut away and the holes (or slots) will vary the airflow wave form. Thus an interchangeable set of discs may be provided with one apparatus, including a disc in which the perforations are regularly spaced or even one having the one perforation. In this way the device can progressively strengthen muscles throughout the respiratory system.
Alternative embodiments of the invention incorporate an adjustable speed control. In one of these this adjustment is arranged for control by the user; in another, once initiated it is arranged for periodic speed variation and in another for random speed variation. These facilities are particularly valuable in training athletes and animals used in sport.
Normally in the hand-held device envisaged the power to drive the motor is from a battery incorporated in the base of the device, which may be rechargeable. Mains power may alternatively be employed. In another alternative a power storage unit is employed whence the electricity is derived by turning a handle manually.
The device illustrated in FIG. 14 comprises a housing 500 incorporating a mouthpiece 501 to a conduit 502 and an inlet 503. A hand squeeze lever 504 is associated with a one-way drive mechanism plus flywheel and gearing (not shown). The lever 504 has radial gear teeth near a pivot end thereof, which teeth engage with a gear on a shaft through a pawl and ratchet or other one-way drive mechanism. A roughly 30 degree angular movement caused by squeezing the lever 504 rotates the shaft about four times. Via the gearing the flywheel is rotated ten times for each shaft rotation and this gives a reasonably steady speed. The flywheel is associated with a disc valve having irregularly spaced voids.
The device illustrated in FIG. 15 comprises a housing 600 to a conduit having an inlet 601 and a mouthpiece 602. There is shown a stowable wind-up handle 603 and an on-off button 604. Inside the housing and not shown is a wind-up spring, a speed governor in the form of a sprung bob weight and a gear mechanism. The gear mechanism in turn operates a disc valve having irregularly spaced voids. The gear mechanism operates to reduce the valve opening and closing cycle to the order of 20 Hz. The device is openable to enable discs of different perforation pattern to be exchanged therein.
Shown in FIG. 16 is a rotary vane 700 in a housing 701, the housing having an inlet 702 and a mouthpiece 703. Set around the vane in an irregular array are a plurality of magnets 704 in the form of ferromagnetic discs while in the housing 701 is mounted a co-operating static magnet 705. In this case the co-operation of the rotating magnets 704 on the one hand and the static magnet 705 on the other provides the intermittent resistance to the flow of air in the conduit. This device may be electric motor driven in which case the housing 701 is preferably a head unit detachable from the power unit. Alternatively it may be clockwork or manual lever driven as per the devices herein described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13.
An important feature of the device illustrated in FIG. 16 however is that it can actually be driven by the respiratory act itself.
The embodiments above described can be compact, with a height of 10 cm, a breadth of 7.5 cm and a thickness of 3.5 cm. They are also robust without being cumbersome so that they are particularly portable and suitable for use by athletes during training.
Patent Application
20080053452
