Sleep apnea monitor
US4802485A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 2, 1987 |
| Grant date | Feb 7, 1989 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 2, 2007 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61B5/113
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A sleep apnea monitor includes an SaO.sub.2 sensor, a breathing sensor, a snoring sensor, and a head position sensor, all of which are mounted to a headgear. The breathing sensor preferably includes a piezo-electric film formed of a generally cylindrical shape positioned between the nose and mouth of the subject such that exhaled air warms the film and generates an electric signal indicative of the brathing pattern of the subject. Preferably, the region bounded by the piezo-electric film is used as a resonant cavity which is acoustically coupled to a microphone included in the snoring sensor. In one embodiment, data is logged from the sleep apnea monitor at the rate of one measurement for each pulse beat of the subject. In this way, data recording is synchronized with a physiological variable.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.