KR101784416B1 - Apparatus for preventing of snoring and sleep apnea - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus for preventing snoring and sleep apnea, and more specifically, to an apparatus which alleviates snoring and sleep apnea by driving a fixed means connected to the upper teeth accommodating part or lower teeth accommodating part back and forth to move the upper jaw or lower jaw and secure an airway of a patient. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus includes: a main body which is wearable on a patients face; an actuator which is embedded in the main body; a power transmission shaft which is extended from the actuator; a driving unit which is connected to the power transmission shaft and moves the upper jaw or lower jaw of the patient back and forth through a driving power received from the actuator; a support plate which is connected and fixed to the driving unit; and a position fixing connector which is extended from the main body and connected to the support plate.

Description

[0001] APPARATUS FOR PREVENTION OF SNORING AND SLEEP APNEA [0002]

The present invention relates to an apparatus for treating snoring and sleep apnea, and more particularly, to an apparatus for treating snoring and sleep apnea, and more particularly to an apparatus for treating snoring and sleep apnea, The present invention relates to a device capable of treating apnea.

Snoring is a symptom in which sounds are generated by vibrating the dogs (relatively soft back part in the mouth of the mouth), the mucus, and the surrounding mucous membranes when the air passes through the narrowed mouth by stretching the muscles during sleep, Sleep Apnea is a symptom of respiratory arrest by closing the airway by clogging of the airway around the airway during sleep. It is a symptom in which at least 10 seconds of sleep apnea is over 5 times per hour or more than 30 times over 7 hours Sleep disorder symptoms. Snoring and sleep apnea can be caused by abnormal temporal and mandibular joint positions. When the body is aged or the lower teeth are worn out, the jaw joint is relatively moved upward and the jaws located between the facial bones and the jawbone This is caused by the formation of an unstable structure because the joint disk is pulled forward.

Sleep apnea symptoms can be found in patients with snoring. It is generally known that the diameter of the adult airways is about 13 mm in average. If the airway diameter is kept below 9 mm, oxygen supply becomes insufficient and normal breathing Can not be performed. Such an oxygen supply shortage occurs frequently during the sleeping and may lead to a nose-poking phenomenon.

Sleep apnea can induce hypertension, arrhythmia, stroke and myocardial infarction due to decreased concentration, reduced arterial saturation in arterial blood, and in severe cases can lead to heart attack and sudden death during sleep, thus preventing snoring and sleep apnea symptoms And research and development of related technologies.

Conventional snoring and sleep apnea treatment methods have been proposed as medical treatment, surgical treatment, treatment by use of a positive pressure supply device, treatment by use of an oral device, and the like, Wearable treatment apparatuses (hereinafter referred to as "oral devices") are the most widely used.

The use of oral devices is based on the fact that the cause of snoring and sleep apnea is in an abnormal position of the jaw joint, and the way to normalize it is mainly used. Specifically, the oral device for preventing snoring and sleep apnea is a device for preventing snoring and sleep apnea by moving the mandible forward to secure the airway, It is classified as a device to prevent sleep apnea.

However, in the device for moving the mandible forward in the prior art, since the device has to be manually adjusted to keep the position fixed, it is necessary to continue wearing the device in the sleep, so that the patient often feels uncomfortable and frustrated. And the devices that press the study dogs and nipples upwards often caused severe disfavor to the patients. In addition, if both of the devices are worsened or improved, a new device must be manufactured to meet the condition of the patient, which may result in additional time and cost.

Considering the problems of the prior art, in the present invention, the apparatus is operated only in the snoring and sleep apnea state to move the mandible forward, and when the snoring and sleep apnea do not occur, the apparatus is not operated or the mandible is returned to its original state Thereby preventing the patient from feeling uncomfortable and uncomfortable. In addition, the snoring and sleep apnea treatment device, which allows the patient to wear comfortably for a long period of time by securing the airway through relative motion of the upper jaw rather than the mandible, I would like to propose.

Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2013-0029183 and Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2015-0123808 disclose a snoring and sleep apnea treatment apparatus. According to the prior art document, an oral appliance for driving forward / backward movement of the upper or lower tooth receptacle on the outer side of the upper teeth or the lower teeth receptacle occupies a considerable space. However, as the oral appliance is inserted into the oral cavity of the human body, there has been a problem that the patient may feel the inconvenience and frustration when the wearer is worn for a long period of time because the vicinity of the molar is pressed.

FIG. 13 is a view showing a conventional mask type snoring and sleep apnea treatment apparatus.

The conventional art shown in Fig. 13 is a device for treating snoring and sleep apnea, in which a shape of a normal mask is borrowed to cover a part of a user's face, a main body of the treatment device and a controller are disposed at the center of the mask, It is an invention to improve snoring and sleep apnea symptoms. According to FIG. 13, since the patient wears the mask at all times during sleep, the patient is interfered with the face, which also causes the patient to feel inconvenience and frustration when worn for a long time.

Therefore, in order to solve the problems of the prior art, the present invention proposes a method for relieving the inconvenience to the patient who wears the oral appliance for a long time during sleep.

Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2013-0029183 (March 23, 2013) Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2015-0123808 (2015.09.01)

It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for treating snoring and sleep apnea which enables the patient to wear comfortably for a long time by moving the mandible forward or securing the airway by operating the apparatus only in the snoring and sleep apnea state.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a snoring and sleep apnea treatment apparatus which does not need to produce a new apparatus for a patient even if the condition of the patient is worsened or improved.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel design of an oral appliance which alleviates the inconvenience to the patient who needs to wear the oral appliance for a long time during the sleeping.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a medical device including: a main body part that can be worn on a face of a patient; An actuator part installed in the main body part; A power transmission shaft extending from the actuator portion; An acting portion connected to the power transmission shaft and receiving a driving force of the actuator to move the upper or lower part of the patient forward or backward; A support plate fixedly connected to the operation portion; And a position fixing connector extending from the main body and connected to the support plate.

Here, the main body may be detachable from the operating portion.

The cross section of the position fixing connector may be formed to have a rectangular shape in which at least a pair of opposing sides are not parallel, and a magnetic body may be provided in the position fixing connector.

According to one embodiment, the actuator unit rotates the power transmitting shaft, and the power transmitting shaft can rotate the spindle provided inside the working unit.

The actuator unit includes a worm wheel that shares a rotation axis with the power transmission shaft. A worm shaft rotatably driven by a rotational force of the motor; And a screw portion formed on one side of the worm shaft and engaged with the gear of the worm wheel.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a side support means may be provided to support the side surfaces of the power transmission shaft so as not to be detached.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the operating portion includes a latch portion that linearly moves in a forward / backward direction in accordance with rotation of the spindle; A front frame and a rear frame fixed from one side and the other side of the spindle; And a guide bar connected between the front frame and the rear frame for guiding the linear movement of the latch portion.

Further, a "C" -shaped support rod fixedly connected to the upper or lower ratchet receiving portion of the patient may be mounted on the latch portion.

In addition, the operating portion may include a clearance means. The clearance means is a means for properly aligning the axis of the power transmission shaft and the spindle.

According to one embodiment, an antenna may be further included in the main body portion and receive a remote control command.

According to one embodiment, a wireless recharging coil may be further included.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus may further include a sensor unit for sensing a state of the patient, and a controller for issuing a control command according to the detected state of the patient,

By using the sensor unit and the control unit, it is possible to detect the snoring or sleep apnea treatment by detecting the temperature change due to the patient's breathing, detecting the vibration and noise generated from the patient, or detecting the oxygen saturation concentration .

The present invention provides an apparatus for treating snoring and sleep apnea.

In addition, the apparatus is operated only in the snoring and sleep apnea state, thereby moving the mandible forward or securing the airway, thereby enabling the patient to comfortably wear the snoring and sleep apnea treatment apparatus for a long time. If snoring and sleep apnea do not occur, the device may not be operated or the mandible may be returned to its original state so that the patient does not feel uncomfortable and uncomfortable.

Further, even if the condition of the patient is worsened or improved, there is an effect that it is not necessary to produce a new device every time the state of the patient changes.

According to the present invention, the relative position adjustment (hereinafter referred to as "tuning") of the upper tooth receiving portion and the lower tooth receiving portion, which are located inside the patient's mouth at the time of sleep, This is advantageous in that it can be facilitated.

In addition, since the area for pressing the inside of the patient's mouth is minimized, even if the patient wears the oral appliance of the present invention for a long period of time at the time of sleeping, the inconvenience is significantly reduced compared to the conventional case.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the main body is configured to be detachable from the operating portion of the sleep apnea treatment apparatus, so that the user can more easily enter the sleep state.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and various effects can be included within the scope of what is well known to a person skilled in the art from the following description.

FIG. 1 is a view showing a snoring and sleep apnea treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a view showing the upper tooth receiving portion and the lower tooth receiving portion according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a top view showing the entire configuration of a snoring and sleep apnea treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating an entire configuration of a snoring and sleep apnea treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
FIG. 5 is a view showing an actuator part and an operating part of a snoring and sleep apnea treatment device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a side view showing an application example of a snoring and sleep apnea treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a view illustrating a position fixing connector and a support plate connected to the position fixing connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Fig. 8 is a diagram showing the arrangement of the magnetic bodies in the position fixing connector according to the embodiment of the present invention. Fig.
FIG. 9 is a view showing a power transmission shaft according to an embodiment of the present invention and a guide ball pin for preventing separation of the side surface of the power transmission shaft.
10 is a view showing a damper for a clearance for aligning a spindle with a power transmitting shaft according to an embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a view illustrating a band for a chest according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 12 is a conceptual diagram showing a state where a snoring and sleep apnea treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a patient who is actually lying.
FIG. 13 is a view showing a conventional mask type snoring and sleep apnea treatment apparatus.

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to exemplary drawings. The embodiments described above are provided so that those skilled in the art can easily understand the technical spirit of the present invention and thus the present invention is not limited thereto and a detailed description of the related known structure or function may be considered to blur the gist of the present invention Detailed description thereof will be omitted.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, It should be noted that the same reference numerals have the same signs as possible even if they are displayed on different drawings. FIG. 13 is related to the prior art, and elements having the same role in the present invention are denoted by the same reference symbols as possible.

In addition, the expression " comprising " is intended to merely denote that such elements exist as an 'open expression', and should not be understood as excluding additional elements.

It will also be appreciated that the device or element orientation (e.g., "front," "back," "up," "down," "top," "bottom, Quot ;, "left "," right ", and the like are used merely to simplify the description of the present invention, and the associated device or element must have a particular orientation It will be understood that it does not imply or imply.

In the following description, the Z direction refers to the direction parallel to the height direction of the snoring and sleep apnea treatment apparatus of the present invention, and the X direction refers to a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the power transmitting shaft or spindle (or the rotational axis direction of the spindle) And the Y direction means a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the warm shaft (or the rotational axis direction of the warm shaft).

1 is a diagram showing the entire configuration of a snoring and sleep apnea treatment apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a view showing the upper tooth receiving portion and the lower tooth receiving portion according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The snoring and sleep apnea treatment apparatus 1 of the present invention includes a main body 10, an actuator 20, a power transmission shaft 24, a spindle 30, a working portion 40, and a support plate 50 can do.

More particularly, the snoring and sleep apnea treatment device according to one embodiment comprises a body 10 that is wearable on the face of a patient; An actuator unit 20 installed in the main body 10; A power transmission shaft 24 extending from the actuator unit 20; A working part 40 connected to the power transmission shaft 24 and receiving the driving force of the actuator part 20 to move the maxilla or mandible forward / backward of the patient; A support plate (50) fixedly connected to the operating portion (40); And a position fixing connector (25) extending from the main body (10) and connected to the support plate (50).

It goes without saying that it may further include other additional configurations for operation. For example, the upper tooth receiving portion 100 and the lower tooth receiving portion 200. 2, the upper teeth receiving portion 100 is formed to fit the upper teeth arrangement of the patient and accommodates the upper teeth, and the lower tooth receiving portion 200 is formed to fit the lower jaw arrangement of the patient and accommodates the lower jaw. Specifically, the upper and lower teeth accommodating part 100 and the lower tooth receiving part 200 can be formed in accordance with the patient's teeth arrangement by using a hard or semi-rigid resin or the like, and transparent or colored or other translucent Or may be formed in various colors. This may be the usual mouthpiece. It should be understood that not only the resin but also a variety of materials that can be used to lay the bone according to the patient's tooth arrangement can be used. The upper bearing receptacle 100 and the lower washer receptacle 200 interlock with the snoring and sleep apnea treatment device 1 so that their relative positions are adjusted to prevent snoring and sleep apnea. The upper and lower tooth receiving portions 100 and 200 may be connected to each other through a predetermined connection means (not shown), but the upper and lower tooth receiving portions 100 and 200 ) May be individually worn.

The main body 10 controls the relative position between the upper teeth receiving portion 100 and the lower teeth receiving portion 200 while controlling the relative position.

The body portion 10 may include a portion covering the face from the under nose of the patient to the lips. 13, in the case of the present invention, the face of the patient is covered in a narrower area and the relative position of the upper and lower tooth receiving portions 100 and 200 is adjusted It is possible to detach the main body 10 from the operating portion 40, thereby reducing the inconvenience of the patient.

Hereinafter, the components of the actuator 20, the position fixing connector 25, the operation portion 40, the support plate 50, and the like will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 3 to 8.

3 is a top view showing the entire configuration of a snoring and sleep apnea treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating an entire configuration of a snoring and sleep apnea treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. FIG. 5 is a view showing an actuator part and an operating part of the snoring and sleep apnea treatment device according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a side view showing an application example of a snoring and sleep apnea treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 7 is a view illustrating a position fixing connector and a support plate connected to the position fixing connector according to an embodiment of the present invention. 8 is a view showing an arrangement of a magnetic body in a position fixing connector according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 and 4, the main body 10 of the present invention includes a power transmitting shaft 24 and a position fixing connector 25 on a support plate 50 fixedly connected to a working portion 40 and a working portion, Respectively.

In the present invention, the main body 10 can be detachably attached to the operating portion 40. The actuator section 20 provided in the main body section 10 is used to transmit the power to the operating section 40 and the operating section 40 to which the power is transmitted, After the relative distance is adjusted (hereinafter referred to as "tuning"), the main body 10 can be separated from the operating portion 40. Therefore, only the constitution of the upper and lower tooth receiving portions, the acting portion 40, and the supporting plate 50 can be left in the oral cavity in a state in which the body portion 10 is separated, thereby providing the patient with feeling of irritation and feeling of irritation So that it is possible to reach the sleeping state in a minimized state.

The actuator unit 20 can be installed inside the main body 10. 5, the housing 11, in which the actuator 20 is received, may be formed on the rear side of the main body 10 to form a portion protruding from a portion of the user's lips, In some cases, it may be formed on the front side of the main body portion 10 as shown in Fig.

A power transmission shaft 24 having a predetermined length is extended from the actuator portion 20 to the inside of the patient's mouth when the actuator portion 20 is installed in the body portion 10. [

The power transmitting shaft 24 is connected to the actuating part 40 on the opposite side of the actuator 20 to the actuating part 40. And is connected to the spindle 30 contained in the working portion 40. For reference, 'connection' in this specification can mean all physical connections such as direct 'attachment', 'adhesion', 'bonding', 'bonding', 'bonding' of one member and another member, And the like. As will be described later, a screw thread may be formed on the outer edge of the spindle 30 so that the fixing means (the latch portion, the latch portion) engaged with the threaded portion according to the rotation of the spindle 30 can move forward / backward linearly.

The operating portion 40 is provided with driving force of the actuator portion 20 in a state of being connected to the power transmitting shaft 24, and moves the upper or lower part of the patient back and forth.

First, the actuator 20, the position fixing connector 25, and the support plate 50 of the present invention will be described.

The position fixing connector 25 is of a rod type, and is configured to extend from the body of the body 10, more precisely the housing of the body 10. 4 and 5, it is shown that the position of the position fixing connector 25 is offset toward the edge of the main body 10, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The position fixing connector 25 may be integrally formed with the main body housing 11.

It is difficult for the power transmission shaft 24 to exactly coincide with the axis of the spindle 30 in the working portion 40 because the user directly wears the main body portion 10 when the working portion 40 is worn. In the present invention, the position fixing connector 25 is provided for the purpose of solving such inconvenience, and plays a role of being able to be worn more rapidly at a predetermined position. In addition, when the actuator unit 20 is driven, the free wheeling is prevented.

To this end, the cross section of the position fixing connector 25 may be formed to have at least a pair of opposite sides having a rectangular shape that is not parallel. For example, in FIG. 7, an asymmetrical trapezoidal cross-sectional shape is shown in which a pair of sides are parallel but the other pair of sides are not parallel to each other. A more accurate positional alignment becomes possible as compared with a case having a cross-sectional shape of a regular quadrangle.

According to one embodiment, the connection contact 51 of the support plate 50 is formed with a groove having the same shape as the end face of the position fixing connector 25 and the position fixing connector 25 is connected to the support plate 50 side , Or may be fitted. The position fixing connector 25 can be attached to and detached from the connection contact 51 in a predetermined direction at a time when the embossed and engraved engage with each other as a trapezoidal shape. Therefore, when the user connects the position fixing connector 25, the user can easily attach and detach the connector by the one-touch method.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, a magnetic substance 25 is provided inside the position fixing connector 25 to connect the position fixing connector 50 to the position of the contact to which the position fixing connector 50 is connected more quickly and accurately. At this time, the connection point 51 of the support plate 50 may be formed of a metal material so as to be attracted to the magnetic body 25 by attraction. When the position fixing connector 25 is connected to the connection contact 51, the bonding force is improved by the attractive force of the magnetic body, so that the apparatus of the present invention can be tuned in a more stable fixed state.

More specifically, the actuator unit 20 of the present invention may include a motor that is provided in the main body 10 to provide a driving force, and may be configured to rotate the power transmitting shaft 24 It also plays a role of driving. Specifically, the actuator unit 20 includes a worm wheel 23 that shares a rotation axis with the power transmission shaft 24; A worm shaft 21 rotatably driven by a rotational force of a motor (not shown); And a screw portion 22 formed on one side of the worm shaft 21 and engaged with the gear of the worm wheel 23. [

The worm wheel 23 may have a configuration in which the worm wheel 23 and the power transmitting shaft 24 share a rotation axis and are fixedly connected to each other, and may be integrally formed as the case may be. The power transmitted through the worm wheel 23 of the actuator unit 20 rotatively drives the power transmitting shaft 24 and the power transmitting shaft 24 is again driven to rotate the spindle 30 provided inside the working unit 40 .

An opening hole (not shown) is provided from the surface of the main body 10 to the center of rotation of the worm wheel 23 so that the user can snore the snorkel of the present invention and the pin used when manually manipulating the sleep apnea May be additionally formed. The user can insert the pin in the opening hole (not shown) and rotate the predetermined angle so that the maxillary or mandibular can be manually moved forward / backward linearly without providing any additional electric driving force by the motor.

The worm shaft 21 is provided with a threaded portion 22 at one side to mesh with the worm wheel 23 so that the rotational force of the motor is transmitted to the worm wheel 23. The rotational axis of the worm wheel 23 is rotated 90 degrees Respectively. The size and shape of the crests and valleys where the threaded portion 22 is engaged with the worm wheel 23 are not limited to those shown in the drawings, and may vary according to various embodiments.

It is preferable that the worm shaft 21 and the worm wheel 23 as well as a motor (not shown) are mounted inside the body 10 so as not to protrude out of the body 10 in terms of space efficiency.

Next, the working portion 40 of the present invention will be described in more detail.

According to the apparatus for treating snoring and sleep apnea according to the embodiment of the present invention, the spindle 30 is disposed across the one end and the other end of the operating portion 40 at the inner center of the operating portion 40. The actuating part (40) includes a latch part (44) which linearly moves forward / backward in accordance with rotation of the spindle (30); A front frame 41 and a rear frame 42 fixed from one side and the other side of the spindle; And a guide bar 43 connected between the front frame 41 and the rear frame 42 and guiding the linear movement of the latch 44. And .

Referring to the drawings, the latch portion 44 is connected to the outer diameter of the spindle 30, and is connected to the spindle 30 so as to linearly move forward and backward as the spindle 30 rotates. And a hook-shaped latch is formed so as to substantially observe the rear surface (X direction) of the main body portion 10. [ Here, the latch portion 44 may be formed with a female screw in correspondence with the thread of the spindle 30.

According to one embodiment, the latch portion 44 may be provided with a "C" -shaped support 45 fixedly connected to the upper or lower ratcheting portion of the patient. A method of connecting the " C "-shaped support 45 with the upper teeth receiving portion is to fix the snoring and the sleep apnea device to the upper teeth receiving portion 100 before being mounted on the patient's mouth, The upper tooth receiving portion 100 and the lower tooth receiving portion are first attached to the patient's mouth and then the "C" shaped support 45 is inserted into the mouth to connect the upper tooth receiving portion 100 It may be fixed firmly.

On the surface of the spindle 30, a thread is formed. When the spindle 30 is rotated by the driving of the actuator 20, the latch portion 44 is moved forward / backward in accordance with the rotation of the spindle 30. Since the "C" -shaped support 45 connected to the latch 44 moves along the latch 44, the upper lip also moves linearly in the forward / backward direction. Since the embodiment shown in the drawing has the structure in which the "C" shaped support 45 is connected to the upper teeth receiving portion 100, the latch portion 44 is moved backward from the default state of the treatment device, The relative mandibular advancement allows the patient's airway to be secured and thus the purpose of snoring and sleep apnea prevention can be achieved.

Since the present embodiment is configured to relatively advance the mandible relative to the maxilla as described above, sleep apnea can be prevented, and the snoring phenomenon can be alleviated considerably as the airway is secured.

If the latch portion 44 is configured to be fixedly connected to the underleath receiving portion 200 in a manner different from that shown in the drawing, To allow the mandible to move relatively relative to the maxilla so as to secure the patient's airway and thus achieve the purpose of preventing snoring and sleep apnea.

Next, the side support means 46 and the clearance means 31 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10. FIG.

FIG. 9 is a view showing a power transmission shaft according to an embodiment of the present invention and a guide ball pin for preventing separation of the side surface of the power transmission shaft. 10 is a view showing a damper for a clearance for aligning a spindle with a power transmitting shaft according to an embodiment of the present invention.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the side support means 46 may be provided to support the side surfaces of the power transmitting shaft 24 so as not to be detached.

Here, prevention of departure of the power transmission shaft 24 means that the body portion 10 is prevented from being arbitrarily detached when the body portion 10 is mounted on the working portion 40. [

The side support means 46 preferably presses the side surface of the power transmission shaft 24 and may be provided as shown in FIG. 9 to press the power transmission shaft 24 from both sides.

As an example of the side support means 46, a side support means of a guide ball pin type may be provided inside the operation portion 40 as shown in FIG. The guide ball pin may be provided with a ball and a spring inside and a part of a ball may be in contact with a recessed groove formed in the power transmission shaft 24. If the user intentionally removes the main body portion 10 with an appropriate force, the ball breaks back in the longitudinal direction of the guide ball pin and the power transmission shaft 24 is disengaged. However, when the proper force is not applied, do.

In addition, referring to FIG. 10 of the present invention, a clearance means 31 is provided. The clearance means is located inside the working portion (40) of the present invention, more precisely at the other end of the spindle (30). The clearance means 31 serves as a kind of damper, and the clearance means 31 may have a suitable elasticity such as a silicon material or a leaf spring. Specifically, when the power transmission shaft 24 is aligned with the shaft of the spindle 30, it is necessary to keep the clearance distance and the appropriate tension so that the power transmission shaft 24 is accurately aligned with the shaft of the spindle 30 . If there is no damper for clearance, severe abrasion may occur during axis alignment.

Meanwhile, the snoring and sleep apnea apparatus of the present invention can be manually operated by the patient, but can be automatically driven from the outside by an external remote control, or an automatic driving system by preset control logic can be applied.

When driven manually, the patient can be inserted into the above-described opening hole (not shown) using a tool such as a nipper or a pin to rotate the spindle 30 to the left or right, It is possible to linearly move the maxilla or mandible by rotating the power transmitting shaft 24 clockwise or counterclockwise by disposing the configuration of the antenna 60 receiving the command in the main body 10. [

By using the antenna, it is possible to perform fine control in the forward / backward movement of the maxilla or mandible through the operation part 40, and to control on / off of the snoring and sleep apnea treatment device. In this case, the antenna 60 may be a chip antenna or an LDS (Laser Direct Structure) antenna.

The wireless charging coil 70 of the present invention may be installed in the main body 10, the upper teeth receiving portion 100 or the lower tooth receiving portion 200 to secure the driving power of the actuator 20 that is automatically driven It is possible. Specifically, the wireless charging coil 70 can be installed inside the main body 10. If you are exposed to the outside, you may feel uncomfortable when you wear it in your mouth.

According to the snoring and sleep apnea treatment apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, a sensor unit 80 and a control unit 90 may be further provided.

As one feature of the present invention, snoring and sleep apnea can be detected using a method of detecting a temperature change due to breathing of a patient, detecting vibration and noise generated from a patient, or detecting oxygen saturation concentration. This determination can be performed through the sensor unit 80 and the control unit 90. [ After it is determined that snoring and sleep apnea are occurring, the actuator is driven to treat (or prevent) snoring and sleep apnea.

The sensor unit 80 may be housed in the main body 10 as shown in FIG. 1 or may be housed in a sleep apnea sensor separately provided outside the main body 10 around the human body. Here, as an embodiment of the sleep apnea sensing device, for example, a chest band contacting the patient's body as shown in Fig. 11 may be applied.

Specifically, the sensor unit 80 of the present invention may employ a sensing method for sensing a temperature change due to breathing, a sensing method for sensing vibration and noise generated from a patient, or a method for sensing an oxygen saturation concentration.

In the case of a sensing method for sensing a temperature change due to breathing, a temperature sensor may be provided in the sensor unit 80.

However, in the case of the sensing method for sensing the temperature change due to breathing, the sleep apnea state can not be accurately detected because it may be affected by minute changes in the ambient temperature. Therefore, in the present invention, It is more preferable to use a sensing method that detects vibration and noise generated from a patient as compared with a sensing method that senses a temperature change by a sensor.

In the case of a sensing method for detecting vibration and noise, a piezo film (not shown) may be formed at the center of the sensor part. Piezoelectric film is a flexible, light and thin engineering plastic. It can cover a wide frequency band and pressure range. It is a transducer that detects vibrations and noises from patients and converts them into analog signals. It is the material that performs the role of. Specifically, the pressure applied to the film is converted into a voltage (piezoelectric effect) in accordance with the vibration and noise generated from the patient, and finally converted into an electric quantity as an analog signal. The vibration and noise generated by the patient is accumulated on the piezoelectric film as electric charge, which is realized as an analog signal indicating a sleep apnea state through a high pass filter and / or a low pass filter and can be converted into a digital signal through an A / D converter have.

In addition, the method of detecting the oxygen saturation concentration may mean that the present invention includes the oxygen saturation concentration meter (SpO ₂ ) in the snoring and sleep apnea treatment apparatus. Oxygen saturation densitometer can be used as a sensor for the detection of apnea. Non-invasive measurement of concentration of hemoglobin is performed by measuring the oxygen deficit signal in the blood through the method of worn on the finger, It can deliver the relevant signal to the device.

Specifically, the oxygen saturation densitometer comprises selecting at least two wavelengths comprising two isosbestic wavelengths from among wavelengths whose extinction coefficient of water belongs to a wavelength band lower than the extinction coefficient of hemoglobin, The method comprising the steps of sequentially irradiating incident light to a predetermined region including a blood vessel of a body, receiving light sequentially transmitted through a predetermined region at a single point on the body and converting the received light into electric signals, Calculating the amount of light attenuation caused by the differentiated arterial wave from the electrical signals, calculating the ratio between the change amounts, calculating the hemoglobin concentration included in the blood using at least one ratio, Oxygen-deficient signal can be measured.

The control unit 90 may be provided on the one side within the main body 10 or may be provided on the outside of the main body 10 (e.g., the chest band). The digital signal inputted to the sensor unit 80 through the control unit 90 can be converted into a signal for driving the actuator again. In this process, the patient can determine whether it is snoring or sleep apnea.

When the preset digital signal is detected, the actuator can be automatically driven by the snoring or sleep apnea of the patient, and the distance that the latch or the latch moves linearly in the forward / backward direction can be set to be patient-customized, .

In the present invention, if the sensor unit 80 and / or the control unit 90 are provided outside the main body 10, the digital signal and the control signal are transmitted through the antenna 60, which receives the remote control command from the outside, The actuator can be driven by receiving the control command of the controller. Since the size of the main body 10 to be worn on the human body is limited within a practical range, space efficiency can be improved by selectively arranging the above components (antenna, sensor unit, body unit, etc.). For example, referring to Fig. 11, a view showing a band for chest is shown. 11, the sensor unit 80 and the control unit 90 are attached to the chest band. In this case, only the configuration of the actuator 20, the antenna 60, the wireless charging coil 70, and the like may be arranged in the main body 10.

The above-mentioned hardware components (the body 10, the actuator 20, the position fixing connector 25, the spindle 30, the operation portion 40, the support plate 50, the antenna 60, The charging coil 70, the sensor unit 80, the control unit 90, etc.) can be suitably arranged and interacted among the components and combined with software or firmware such as a computing device to provide a kind of snoring and sleep apnea A treatment system may be constructed. The operation principle of the snoring and sleep apnea treatment system is the same as that of the above-described embodiment, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

According to the snoring and sleep apnea treatment apparatus (1) of the present invention, a power unit (actuator) for securing airway is mounted on the main body, It is possible to easily adjust the relative position of the receiving portion and the undergarment receiving portion. In addition, the apparatus is operated only in the snoring and sleep apnea state, thereby moving the mandible forward or securing the airway, thereby enabling the patient to comfortably wear the snoring and sleep apnea treatment apparatus for a long time. Further, even if the condition of the patient is worsened or improved, there is an effect that it is not necessary to produce a new device suitable for the condition. In addition, since the area for pressing the inside of the patient's mouth is minimized, even if the patient wears the oral appliance of the present invention for a long period of time at the time of sleeping, the inconvenience is significantly reduced compared to the conventional case. In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the main body can be detachably attached to the operating portion of the sleep apnea treatment apparatus so that the user can more easily enter the sleep state.

The embodiments of the present invention described above are disclosed for the purpose of illustration, and the present invention is not limited thereto. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

1: Snoring and sleep apnea
10:
20:
24: Power transmission shaft
25: Position fixing connector
30: Spindle
40:
41: Front frame
42: rear frame
43: Guide bar
44:
45: "C" type support
46: side support means
50: Support plate
51: Connection contact
60: antenna
70: Wireless charging coil
80:
90:

Claims (11)

A wearable body portion on the face of the patient;
An actuator part installed in the main body part;
A power transmission shaft extending from the actuator portion;
An acting portion connected to the power transmission shaft and receiving a driving force of the actuator to move the upper or lower part of the patient forward or backward;
A support plate fixedly connected to the operation portion; And
A position fixing connector extending from the main body and connected to the support plate;
And a sleep apnea treatment device.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the main body part is detachably attached to the operating part.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the cross section of the position fixing connector is formed such that at least a pair of opposite sides are formed in a shape of a quadrangle that does not become parallel.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the position fixing connector is provided with a magnetic body inside the apparatus for treating snoring and sleep apnea.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the actuator unit rotates the power transmitting shaft,
And the power transmission shaft rotates a spindle provided inside the operating portion.
6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the actuator unit includes: a worm wheel that shares a rotation axis with the power transmission shaft;
A worm shaft rotatably driven by a rotational force of the motor; And
And a threaded portion formed on one side of the worm shaft and engaged with a gear of the worm wheel.
The method according to claim 1,
And a side support means for supporting a side surface of the power transmission shaft so as not to be separated from the power transmission shaft.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the operating portion includes a latch portion that linearly moves forward / backward in accordance with rotation of the spindle;
A front frame and a rear frame fixed from one side and the other side of the spindle; And
And a guide bar connected between the front frame and the rear frame for guiding linear movement of the latch unit.
9. The method of claim 8,
And a "C" -shaped support rod fixedly connected to the upper or lower tooth receiving portion of the patient is mounted on the latch portion.
10. The method of claim 9,
And a clearance means in the operating portion.
The method according to claim 1,
A sensor unit for detecting a state of the patient, and a control unit for issuing a control command according to the detected state of the patient,
A snoring or sleep apnea treatment is determined by detecting a temperature change due to a patient's breathing, detecting vibration and noise from the patient, or detecting a saturated oxygen concentration, Device.

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