US 12,280,220 B2
Sleep apnea treatment apparatus and method
Hirofumi Taki, Kyoto (JP); Yoshiaki Motoyama, Kyoto (JP); and Shigeaki Okumura, Kyoto (JP)
Assigned to MaRI Co., Ltd., Kyoto (JP)
Appl. No. 17/297,799
Filed by MaRI Co., Ltd., Kyoto (JP)
PCT Filed Nov. 29, 2019, PCT No. PCT/IB2019/001283
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date May 27, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/109863, PCT Pub. Date Jun. 4, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/925,104, filed on Oct. 23, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/847,742, filed on May 14, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/774,085, filed on Nov. 30, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2022/0047839 A1, Feb. 17, 2022
Int. Cl. A61M 21/02 (2006.01); A61B 5/00 (2006.01); G16H 20/40 (2018.01); G16H 40/63 (2018.01); H04R 1/28 (2006.01); A61M 21/00 (2006.01)
CPC A61M 21/02 (2013.01) [G16H 20/40 (2018.01); G16H 40/63 (2018.01); H04R 1/2811 (2013.01); H04R 1/2865 (2013.01); A61B 5/4818 (2013.01); A61M 2021/0022 (2013.01); A61M 2021/0033 (2013.01); A61M 2021/0083 (2013.01); A61M 2205/3317 (2013.01); A61M 2205/3375 (2013.01); A61M 2230/06 (2013.01); A61M 2230/205 (2013.01); A61M 2230/40 (2013.01)] 14 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A sleep apnea treatment apparatus, comprising:
a stimulation device configured to apply a stimulation to a subject; and
a controller comprising circuitry configured to receive a plurality of sounds produced by the subject, convert the plurality of sounds to a plurality of received sound signals, obtain breathing information from the plurality of received sound signals, calculate an index corresponding to breathing interruption, hypopnea, and/or precursor condition of apnea and hypopnea based on the breathing information, and cause the stimulation device to apply the stimulation to the subject when the index is higher than a threshold,
wherein the stimulation device comprises a low-frequency sound generator, and the stimulation comprises a low-frequency sound, and
wherein the circuitry is further configured to apply the low-frequency sound to the subject at an exhalation phase.