Oral appliance with auto negative pressure control and method thereof

Abstract

A method for automatically controlling negative pressure supplied in oral cavity, for relieving sleep apnea and snoring is provided. The method includes: sensing a physiological signal from the user and outputting the sensed physiological signal; extracting a physiological status based on said sensed physiological signal; and automatically controlling said negative pressure provided to the user's oral cavity based on said physiological status.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An oral appliance with automatic negative pressure control, comprising:
 a sensing unit, for sensing a physiological signal from a user and outputting said sensed physiological signal;   a physiological status extraction unit, coupled to said sensing unit, for extracting a physiological status based on said sensed physiological signal from said sensing unit;   a negative pressure source, for providing a negative pressure;   an oral interface, for connecting said negative pressure source and interfacing with oral cavity, and   a negative pressure control unit, coupled to said physiological status extraction unit and said negative pressure source, for automatically controlling said negative pressure source based on said physiological status provided from said physiological status extraction unit.   
     
     
         2 . The oral appliance as in  claim 1 , wherein said sensing unit includes at least one or any combination of a body position sensor, an accelerator, a gravity sensor, a tilt sensor, a motion sensor, electrodes, a microphone, a piezo-transducer, a pressure sensor, an oximeter, a CO2 sensor, a thermistor, a hotwire, a flow sensor, a respiratory inductive plethysmograph, a strain gauge and an impedance pneumograph. 
     
     
         3 . The oral appliance as in  claim 1 , wherein:
 said physiological status extraction unit determines the user's body position in upright, supine, prone or side posture.   
     
     
         4 . The oral appliance as in claim wherein:
 said physiological status extraction unit determines the user's sleep/wake status.   
     
     
         5 . The oral appliance as in  claim 1 , wherein:
 said physiological status extraction unit determines the user in rapid eye movement period.   
     
     
         6 . The oral appliance as in  claim 1 , wherein:
 said physiological status extraction unit determines the user in muscle relaxation period.   
     
     
         7 . The oral appliance as in  claim 1 , wherein:
 said physiological status extraction unit determines if the user has snore sound.   
     
     
         8 . The oral appliance as in  claim 1 , wherein:
 said physiological status extraction unit determines if the user has airway pressure oscillation.   
     
     
         9 . The oral appliance as in  claim 1 , wherein:
 said physiological status extraction unit determines if the user has oxygen desaturation.   
     
     
         10 . The oral appliance as in  claim 1 , wherein:
 said physiological status extraction unit determines if the user has lower or absent tidal-end CO2 concentration.   
     
     
         11 . The oral appliance as in  claim 1 , wherein:
 said physiological status extraction unit determines if the user has abnormal breathing events.   
     
     
         12 . The oral appliance as in  claim 1 , wherein:
 said physiological status extraction unit determines if the user has high heart rate variability.   
     
     
         13 . The oral appliance as in  claim 1 , wherein:
 said physiological status extraction unit determines if the user has oral suction intent.   
     
     
         14 . The oral appliance as in  claim 1 , wherein:
 said physiological status extraction unit determines if the user has open mouth intent.   
     
     
         15 . The oral appliance as in  claim 1 , wherein said negative pressure control unit automatically controls said negative pressure source by at least one or any combination of turning pressure on, turning pressure off, setting pressure high, setting pressure low, increasing pressure, decreasing pressure, intermittent, on-demand, auto relaxation, auto titration and maintaining pressure. 
     
     
         16 . The oral appliance as in  claim 1 , wherein:
 said physiological status extraction unit determines the user's breathe phase in exhalation or in inhalation.   
     
     
         17 . The oral appliance as in  claim 1 , wherein:
 said negative pressure control unit providing different negative pressure to a patient's oral cavity during a titrating period of time; and   said physiological status extraction unit determining an optimized pressure setting with least breathing disorder events corresponding to a patient's breaths patterns.   
     
     
         18 . A method applied in an oral appliance, for automatic controlling a negative pressure supplied to a user's oral cavity, the method comprising:
 automatically controlling said negative pressure provided to the user's oral cavity based on a time interval control.   
     
     
         19 . The method as in  claim 18 , said time interval control further comprising:
 automatically turning said negative pressure on at a predetermined time interval after power on.   
     
     
         20 . The method as in  claim 18 , said time interval control further comprising:
 gradually increasing said negative pressure to a predetermined value at a predetermined time interval after power on.   
     
     
         21 . The method as in  claim 18 , said time interval control further comprising:
 intermittently turning said negative pressure off and on at predetermined time periods.   
     
     
         22 . The method as in  claim 18 , said time interval control further comprising:
 periodically decreasing said negative pressure to a low value for a predetermined time interval and then resuming to a high value.   
     
     
         23 . A method applied in an oral appliance, for automatic controlling negative pressure supplied to a user's oral cavity, the method comprising:
 extracting a physiological status based on user's breath phase; and   determining the user's breath phase in exhalation or in inhalation.