| Method of and device for snore detection -> Monitor Keywords |
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Method of and device for snore detectionRelated Patent Categories: Surgery, Diagnostic Testing, Respiratory, Measuring Respiratory Flow Impedance Or Lung ElasticityMethod of and device for snore detection description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20070093722, Method of and device for snore detection. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a snore detection method and a snore detection device. [0003] 2. Description of Related Art [0004] Detection of snoring during sleep makes it possible to diagnose one's health state or to prevent the occurrence of snoring. Already proposed are a snore detection device for judging whether snoring occurs based on vibration (pressure variations), generated by the human-body with respiration, and another snore detection device for judging whether snoring occurs based on snoring sound (JP-A No. 184948/1995). [0005] According to FIG. 13, however, an investigation of the phase relationship between pressure data variations obtained by measuring vibration generated by the human body with respiration and sound data variations obtained by measuring snoring sound reveals that there exist following cases: the time at which the peak P1 of the pressure data appears corresponds to the time at which the peak P2 of the sound data appears, as seen in FIG. 13(a); the time at which the peak P2 of the sound data appears falls behind the time at which the peak P1 of the pressure data appears, as seen in FIG. 13(b); the time at which the peak P2 of the sound data appears is earlier than the time at which the peak P1 of the pressure data appears, as seen in FIG. 13(c). This is because the magnitude of snoring sound is varied in accordance with speed of respiration air flow or airway state while the magnitude of pressure data is varied in accordance with a posture of the sleeping human body. Accordingly the appearance of the peak of the sound data is not always in synchronism with that of the peak of the pressure data. [0006] Thus a snore detection device for judging whether snoring occurs based only on the variations of the pressure data, and a snore detection device for judging whether snoring occurs based only on the variations of the sound data are low in accuracy, and are likely to erroneously judge vibration or sound generated by causes other than snoring as the occurrence of snoring, as the case may be. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a method of and a device for snore detection with higher detection accuracy than conventionally. [0008] The present invention provides a snore detection method of detecting waveforms, respectively, of vibration and sound generated by the human body with respiration to judge occurrence of snoring based on synchronous state of the vibration waveform and the sound waveform. [0009] The present invention provides a snore detection device comprising a pressure sensor 2 for detecting vibration generated by the human body with respiration, a sound sensor 3 for detecting sound generated by the human body with respiration, and a judging circuit for judging whether snoring occurs based on output signals from the two sensors 2, 3. The judging circuit comprises peak detection means for detecting a peak occurrence time in variations generated by the output signal of the pressure sensor 2 and a peak occurrence time in variations generated by the output signal of the sound sensor 3, and judging means for judging whether snoring occurs based on the peak occurrence times, respectively, of vibration and sound detected by the peak detection means. [0010] Stated specifically, when the difference between the peak occurrence times, respectively, of a vibration waveform and a sound waveform obtained continuously with time is smaller than a predetermined set value, the occurrence of snoring is judged. Alternatively, when the difference between an interval of the peak occurrence times of the vibration waveform and an interval of the peak occurrence times of the sound waveform is smaller than a predetermined set value, the occurrence of snoring is judged. Further alternatively, when the difference between the peak occurrence times, respectively, of the vibration waveform and the sound waveform obtained continuously with time is smaller than a predetermined set value, and the difference between an interval of the peak occurrence times of the vibration waveform and an interval of the peak occurrence times of the sound waveform is smaller than a predetermined set value, the occurrence of snoring is judged. [0011] Furthermore, the present invention provides a snore detection device comprising a pillow 10 for supporting a head of the human body, a pressure sensor 2 for detecting vibration generated by the human body with respiration, a sound sensor 3 for detecting sound generated by the human body with respiration, and a judging circuit for judging whether snoring occurs based on output signals of the two sensors 2, 3. The sound sensor 3 is installed on a surface of or inside the pillow 10, between a mat contact surface on which the pillow 10 is in contact with a mat surface to be provided with the pillow 10 thereon and a head contact surface on which the pillow 10 is in contact with the head, and approximately beneath the head or a cervix of the human body. [0012] Still furthermore, the snore detection device of the present invention comprises a mat 1 on which the human body is placed, a pressure sensor 2 for detecting vibration generated by the human body with respiration, a sound sensor 3 for detecting sound generated by the human body with respiration, and a judging circuit for judging whether snoring occurs based on output signals of the two sensors 2, 3. The sound sensor 3 is installed on a surface of or inside the mat 1, and approximately beneath a head or a cervix of the human body. [0013] With the snore detection method and the snore detection device of embodying the present invention, the occurrence of snoring is judged in accordance with synchronous state of the vibration waveform and the sound waveform obtained with respiration based on two data of the two waveforms, whereby detection accuracy is higher than with the conventional method wherein the occurrence of snoring is judged based only on one of the vibration waveform and the sound waveform. [0014] As described above, the snore detection method and the snore detection device of the present invention allow snore detection with higher accuracy than conventionally. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS [0015] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a construction of a snore detection device according to the present invention; [0016] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an arrangement of a pressure sensor and a sound sensor; [0017] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a construction of the pressure sensor; [0018] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure of detecting snoring according to the present invention; [0019] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure of detecting the peak; [0020] FIG. 6 is a waveform representing a period during which the peak is retrieved; [0021] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a procedure of judging snoring; Continue reading about Method of and device for snore detection... 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