KR102066677B1 - Device for curing snore and sleep apnea syndrome - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a device for curing snoring and a sleep apnea syndrome and, more specifically, to a device for curing snoring and a sleep apnea syndrome, which allows a law jaw to protrude further forward than an upper jaw to secure a space between a pharynx wall and a surrounding soft tissue so as to prevent and cure snoring and a sleep apnea syndrome. According to the present invention, a lower body is guided to a front side by using a supporter and a compressive spring with elastic force. Accordingly, when a wearer moves a jaw joint in a nonconscious or semiconscious state during sleep, movement of the lower part is allowed by the elasticity of the compressive spring corresponding to the magnitude of force thereof. Accordingly, in comparison with existing technology (the lower body is always maintained in a fixed state during sleep), the device of the present invention can prevent or minimize inflammation and pain (tingling and the like) of a jaw joint.

Description

Snoring and sleep apnea treatment device {DEVICE FOR CURING SNORE AND SLEEP APNEA SYNDROME}

The present invention relates to a snoring and sleep apnea treatment apparatus, and more particularly, to prevent the snoring and sleep apnea to prevent and treat snoring and sleep apnea by securing a space between the pharyngeal wall and the surrounding soft tissue by protruding the lower jaw forward An apnea treatment apparatus.

In general, when breathing disorders occur during sleep, a decrease in oxygen supply causes brain damage, memory loss, abnormal blood pressure, and heart disease, which are known to cause serious health problems. Representative symptoms include snoring and sleep. There is apnea.

Snoring is caused by the narrowing of the gap between the pharyngeal wall and the surrounding soft tissue during breathing, and is caused by vibrations in surrounding structures such as soft palate and palate, as the respiratory air flows through the narrowed airway. Refers to a phenomenon (breathing noise).

Sleep apnea is a phenomenon in which the pharyngeal wall and the surrounding soft tissue are so relaxed that the soft tissue is in close contact with the pharyngeal wall.A part of the air flow is temporarily blocked and the air supply is temporarily blocked, which temporarily stops the air supply. Say.

Snoring and sleep apnea are known to cause chronic fatigue and headache, as well as arrhythmia, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, left ventricular failure, and lung diseases when prolonged. Snoring has also been reported to exacerbate or cause diabetes or glaucoma, and to cause urological related diseases such as erectile dysfunction.

In order to alleviate and treat snoring and sleep apnea, which are symptoms of respiratory failure during sleep, non-surgical methods and various surgical methods using a breathing apparatus are known. The respiratory device has a problem that the installation and wearing of the device is cumbersome, and the surgical method is pointed out that the pain is difficult, and it is difficult to obtain a permanent treatment result.

Intraoral devices are being used for non-surgical methods in addition to breathing devices. Intraoral devices include a mandibular advancement device (MAD) that positions the mandible forward by type, a tongue retaining device (TRD) that pulls the tongue forward only, and a soft palatal It can be divided into three types of lifters, all of which are structured to secure sufficient air passages.

Of the 40 related papers reported from 1982 to 2002, the lower mandibular anterior position device showed 87.5% of snoring when the mandibular anterior position device was worn and the Respiratory Disturbance Index (RDI) of patients with sleep apnea. ) Has been shown to decrease by 55.7%, which is known to be effective in both snoring and sleep apnea.

An example related to the mandible anterior positioning device has been proposed in Korean Patent Registration No. 10-856672.

In Korean Patent No. 10-856672, when the upper teeth of the user are seated on the upper body and the lower teeth of the user are seated on the lower body, the lower body protrudes toward the front of the upper body to maintain the airway of the pharyngeal muscle in an open state. A snoring and sleep apnea corrector has been proposed to prevent snoring and sleep apnea of a user.

However, the orthodontic tool proposed in Korean Patent No. 10-856672 is not only limited to the vertical movement of the upper and lower or right and left, but also includes a fixing portion for fixing the position of the lower body lower body body than the upper body during the sleeping time Due to the protruding position, excessive force is continuously applied to the jaw joint, causing inflammation or pain.

In addition, the Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2010-0064166, Republic of Korea Patent No. 10-1654279, Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2013-0045285, Republic of Korea Patent Registration 10- 1663896 and the like have been proposed.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2010-0064166, Republic of Korea Patent No. 10-1654279, Republic of Korea Patent No. 10-1663896 is a technique for protruding the mandible forward by using a screw, Republic of Korea Patent No. 10 Like -856672, there was a problem that pain (a feeling of tingling) occurred when sleeping caused by excessive force continuously applied to the jaw joint.

In Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2010-0064166 and Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2013-0045285, the mandible anterior guide wire member is formed of a shape memory alloy (SMA) spring or synthetic fiber so as not to overdo the jaw joint. By using a band to produce a clip (clib) form to relieve the pain, but the structure was somewhat complicated disadvantages.

In addition, the Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2010-0064166 and the Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 10-2013-0045285 In accordance with the wire member is formed in the form of a clip, the elastic force (restoration force) is lowered during long-term use is insufficient treatment effect, Sliding along the outer surface of the inclined wire member in the process of the member (fixing member) is supported by the wire member is difficult to support stable, there was a problem that the fracture occurs by the configuration of a hard material and a soft material.

As described above, the mandible anterior positioning devices according to the prior art continuously use excessive force on the jaw joint by using screws, clips (wires), magnets, etc. to protrude the mandible forward, and not only inflammation but also pain when sleeping. And the like).

However, in the case of using a wire member such as a clip, the pressure applied to the jaw joint may be partially relieved through elasticity, but the wire protrudes to the outside to give a sense of heterogeneity when worn and the installation is inconvenient due to the complicated structure. Due to the structural characteristics of the wire member, the bearing capacity was lowered, and there was a problem in that the fracture occurred at the place where the pressing force was applied due to the hard material and the soft material composition.

KR 10-0856672 B1, 2008. 08. 29. KR 10-2010-0064166 A, June 14, 2010 KR 10-2013-0045285 A, 2013. 05. 03. KR 10-1663896 B1, 2016. 09. 30. KR 10-1654279 B1, 2016. 08. 30.

Therefore, the present invention has been proposed to solve the above problems, by reducing the pressure applied to the jaw joint continuously while wearing so as not to overdo the jaw joint to suppress the occurrence of inflammation or pain, the installation is simple An object of the present invention is to provide a snoring and sleep apnea treatment device that is easy to wear and has excellent comfort when worn in the mouth.

The present invention according to one aspect for achieving the above object is mounted to the upper body; A lower body mounted on the lower jaw; And a mandible front guide member installed on the upper body or the lower body to move the lower body forward to protrude a predetermined distance relative to the upper body, and the mandible front guide member is side or occlusal of the upper body. A fixed part fixed to the part; A compression spring received inside the fixing part; A support coupled to the compression spring and elastically supported by the compression spring; And the support is coupled, and provides a snoring and sleep apnea treatment apparatus comprising a moving unit for moving the lower body forward by the support.

Preferably, the mandible front guide member is coupled to one end of the compression spring through a screw hole formed in the fixing portion, the distance in which the lower body protrudes by pressing and releasing one end of the compression spring according to the rotation direction On the other hand, it may be characterized in that it further comprises an adjustment screw for compensating the elastic force of the compression spring.

Preferably, the lower body is maintained in a state protruding from the upper body by 3mm ~ 5mm forward by the compression spring, the support and the moving portion of the lower front guide member in the state of mating to the upper body. can do.

Preferably, the compression spring is inserted into the receiving groove formed in the fixing portion is received therein, one end of the support is coupled to the compression spring in a state inserted into the receiving groove of the fixing portion can do.

As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained.

First, the present invention is directed to the lower body by using a compression spring having a support and elastic force to the front when the wearer moves the jaw joint in the unconscious or semi-conscious state during sleep, corresponding to the magnitude of the force of the compression spring As the lower body can be moved, it is possible to prevent or minimize inflammation and pain of the jaw joint in comparison with the prior art (the lower body is always kept fixed during sleep).

In addition, the present invention, when the wearer is unconscious or semi-conscious during sleep, the force applied to the jaw joint is removed, the snoring or sleep apnea symptoms by returning the lower body to the original position (protruded state of 3mm ~ 5mm) by the restoring force of the compression spring Can be effectively prevented.

Second, the present invention is made of a structure in which the compression spring is inserted into the inside of the fixed part (or moving part) to be housed and sealed so that the compression spring is not directly exposed to the outside so that the feeling of rejection due to heterogeneity does not occur when worn and is used for a long time. Even if the problem does not occur, such as fracture can improve the life of the snoring and sleep apnea treatment device.

Third, the present invention does not need to manufacture the lower mandible front guide member according to the oral structure of each wearer by finely adjusting the distance that the lower body protrudes forward through the adjustment screw, and can reduce the manufacturing cost, the compression spring By compensating for the decrease in elastic force, the lifespan of the snoring and sleep apnea treatment apparatus can be significantly increased compared to the prior art.

1 is a view showing a snoring and sleep apnea treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a side cross-sectional view of the snoring and sleep apnea treatment apparatus shown in FIG.
3 is a perspective view of the support and the compression spring shown in FIG.
4 and 5 show the mandible anterior guide member according to another example of the present invention.

Advantages and features of the present invention, and methods for achieving them will be apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but may be implemented in various different forms.

Also, like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. In addition, the terms used (discussed) herein are for the purpose of describing the embodiments are not intended to limit the invention. In this specification, the singular also includes the plural unless specifically stated otherwise in the phrase. In addition, components and operations referred to as 'includes (or includes)' do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other components and operations.

Hereinafter, technical features of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a perspective view showing a state in which the upper body and the lower body of the snoring and sleep apnea treatment apparatus separated according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is an upper portion of the snoring and sleep apnea treatment apparatus shown in FIG. Side sectional view showing a state where the body and the lower body is engaged.

1 and 2, the snoring and sleep apnea treatment apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention is mounted on the upper body 10 mounted on the wearer's upper jaw, and the lower body of the wearer occlusion with the upper body 10. The lower body 20 and the lower body 20 is installed on the lower body 20 or lower body 20 includes a lower front induction member 30 for pushing the lower body 20 forward.

The upper body 10 is provided with an upper teeth insertion groove 10a whose upper part is opened so that a part of the upper teeth of the wearer and the upper gum is inserted. The material may be made of a hard or semi-rigid resin, and may be made of various colors such as transparent, colored, or translucent.

The lower body 20 is provided with a lower teeth insertion groove (not shown), the upper portion of which is open so that a part of the lower teeth of the wearer and the lower gum is inserted, and the material may be made of a rigid or semi-rigid resin, and is transparent, colored or translucent. It can be made in various colors.

The lower body 20 applies a pressing force applied from the lower front induction member 30 to an occlusal portion engaged with both sides or the upper body 10 so as to move forward by the pressing force applied from the lower front induction member 30. The support member 21 is transmitted to the lower body 20.

As shown in FIG. 1, the support member 21 is configured to protrude upward from both sides of the lower body 20 so as to be engaged with the lower front induction member 30, and at least a portion of the support member 21 is integrally formed with the lower body 20. It may be fixed or may be fixed through a separate fastening member (screw, etc.).

These support members 21 are respectively installed to be symmetrical with each other on both sides of the lower body 20, the structure and shape is not limited. That is, the transmission member 21 can be applied to any structure that can be stably supported on the mandible front induction member 30. For example, it may consist of circular, elliptical or polygonal blocks (triangle blocks, square blocks, etc.).

As shown in FIG. 2, the lower mandible front guide member 30 is installed in pairs, one at each side of the upper body 10, corresponding to the support member 21 formed on the lower body 20, and a pair of support members. The front body 20 is pushed forward by the lower body 20 in a state in which the upper body 10 is engaged with the set length L, for example, 3 mm to 5 mm in front of the upper body 10.

The mandible front induction member 30 is fixed part 31 fixed to the side of the upper body 10, the compression spring 32 accommodated inside the fixing part 31, and the front of the compression spring 32, respectively. It includes a support 33 coupled to the side, and a moving portion 34 fixed to the front end portion to the support 33.

The fixing part 31 may be made of a hard or semi-rigid resin like the upper body 10, and may be integrally formed on one side of the upper body 10, or may be made independently of a vegetable adhesive that is harmless to the human body. It may be fixed through a fastening member or the like.

The fixing part 31 may be formed of, for example, a square block, and at least one receiving groove 31a is formed therein so that the compression spring 32 is accommodated therein. For example, the receiving groove 31a may be formed corresponding to the number of compression springs 32 to be installed.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the support and the compression spring shown in Figure 1, (a) is a view showing a state in which the support and the compression spring coupled, (b) is a view showing a separated state.

Referring to Figure 3, the compression spring 32 is accommodated in the receiving groove (31a) of the fixing portion 31, one end of the rear side is supported inside the receiving groove (31a) of the fixing portion 31, one front side The part is coupled to the support 33. At this time, the compression spring 32 may be made of a shape memory alloy.

One end of the support 33 is coupled to the front side of the compression spring 32, and the other end is fixed to the moving part 34. For example, the support 33 may be fixed with one end inserted into the receiving groove 31a of the fixing part 31 and the other end inserted into the moving part 34.

One end of the support 33 is preferably elastically supported by being stably coupled to the front end (the other end) of the compression spring 32. To this end, one end of the support 33 may be formed with a protrusion 33a that protrudes vertically, for example, and engages the compression spring 32.

Instead of the protrusion 33a, a coupling plate (not shown) may be installed between the support 33 and the compression spring 32 to interconnect one end of the support 33 with the tip of the compression spring 32. In this case, the coupling plate may be a vertical plate facing vertically with one end of the support (33).

In addition, instead of the protrusion 33a, one end of the support 33 may have a coupling groove recessed inward along the outer circumferential surface of the support 33. In this case, the support 33 and the compression spring 32 may be coupled in such a manner as to couple the front end of the compression spring 32 to the coupling groove.

In Figure 3, the support 33 has a circular rod structure, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and any structure capable of transmitting the elastic force of the compression spring 32 to the moving part 34 may be applicable. For example, it may have a polygonal structure such as a square rod.

In addition, the support 33 may be made of a shape memory alloy, similar to the compression spring (32).

In FIG. 2, the support 33 and the compression spring 32 are installed as a pair, and a total of three pairs are provided, but the present invention is not limited thereto. However, it is preferable that at least two or more are installed in consideration of the simple structure and stable supporting force.

The moving part 34 is a moving member moving forward by the support 33 and is separated from the upper body 11. Like the upper body 11, the moving part 34 may be made of a hard or semi-hard resin, or a metal or shape memory alloy that is harmless to the human body.

As shown in FIG. 2, the moving part 34 is fixed to the lower body 12 in a state in which the upper body 11 and the lower body 12 are interlocked with each other, and a support member disposed on the front side of the moving part 34 ( 21) press forward. At this time, the pressing force of the moving part 34 has a size corresponding to the elastic force of the compression spring 32, and pushes the lower body 12 forward by the set length.

On the other hand, Figure 1 and 2, but the compression spring 32 is made of a structure that is accommodated in the interior of the fixing portion 31, which is an example, the receiving groove for receiving the compression spring 32 in the moving part 34 is And a compression spring 32 may be received inside the moving part 34.

Snoring and sleep apnea treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention having such a configuration is forward with respect to the upper body 10 in the state in which the lower body 20 is engaged with the upper body 10, as shown in FIG. Design the support 33 and the compression spring 32 to protrude 3mm ~ 5mm.

Therefore, the present invention can provide the following effects.

First, the present invention guides the lower body 20 to the front using the support 33 and the compression spring 32 having an elastic force. Accordingly, when the wearer unconsciously moves the jaw joint in the sleep state, the lower body 20 moves in response to the magnitude and direction of the force.

For example, the force applied to the lower body 20 through the jaw joint is greater than the elastic force of the compression spring 32, and when the force is applied to the rear side (airway direction), the lower body 20 moves to the rear side. do. Then, when the force applied to the lower body 20 from the jaw joint is removed, the lower body 20 is returned to its original position by the restoring force of the compression spring 32 to protrude.

That is, in the present invention, when the wearer moves the jaw joint in unconscious or semi-conscious state during sleep, the lower body 20 can be moved in response to the magnitude of the force according to the prior art (the lower body is always fixed while sleeping. To prevent or minimize inflammation and pain (such as tingling) in the jaw joint, and when the force applied to the jaw joint is removed, the lower body 20 is moved by the restoring force of the compression spring 32. By returning to your home position, you can effectively prevent your snoring or sleep apnea symptoms.

In addition, the present invention is made of a structure in which the compression spring 32 is inserted into the inside of the fixing part 31 (or the moving part 34) to be housed and sealed in its entirety so that it is not exposed to the outside and is rejected due to heterogeneity when worn. This does not occur, and problems such as fracture do not occur even if used for a long time can improve the life of the snoring and sleep apnea treatment device.

4 and 5 are views for explaining the lower mandible front guide member according to another embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which the upper body and the lower body is separated, Figure 5 is the upper body and It is a side view seen from the side while the lower body is coupled.

4 and 5, the mandible anterior guide member 132 according to another example of the present invention is similar to the mandible front guide member 32 described above with the fixing part 131, the compression spring 132, and the support ( 133 and the moving unit 134. The compression spring 132 is further moved forward and backward to further include an adjustment screw 135 for adjusting the distance that the lower body 20 protrudes.

The rear side of the fixing part 131 is formed with a screw hole so that the adjustment screw 135 is screwed, the adjustment screw 135 is screwed through the screw hole of the fixing part 131.

Adjustment screw 135 is for finely adjusting the distance that the lower body 20 protrudes forward, the lower body 20 protrudes in consideration of different snoring and sleep apnea symptoms corresponding to the wearer's oral structure. Allows you to fine tune the distance.

The adjustment screw 135 can be finely adjusted by rotating in the tightening or loosening direction by using a separate tool, the head portion is made of hexagonal or square bolt, cross or straight screw groove structure to use a variety of tools Can be.

The adjusting screw 135 is coupled to the other end of the compression spring 132. Accordingly, when the adjustment screw 135 is rotated in the tightening direction, the adjustment screw 135 is advanced to the front side through the screw hole of the fixing portion 131 to press the compression spring 132 to the front side. When the adjusting screw 135 is rotated in the disengaging direction, the adjusting screw 135 is moved backward through the screw hole of the fixing part 131 to remove the pressing force applied to the compression spring 132.

The adjustment screw 135 adjusts the elastic force (restoration force) of the compression spring 132 by adjusting the compression force applied to the compression spring 132 in addition to the function of moving the compression spring 132 forward and backward. That is, the elastic force of the compression spring 132 may be lowered in the long term use, the adjustment screw 135 is used to compensate for the decrease in the elastic force of the compression spring 132.

When the elastic force of the compression spring 132 is lowered, the supporting force of the lower body 20 may be lowered, thereby reducing the effects of snoring and sleep apnea symptoms. As such, when the elastic force of the compression spring 132 is lowered, the elastic force of the reduced compression spring 132 may be compensated by pressing one end of the compression spring 132 forward through the adjustment screw 135.

As such, the snoring and sleep apnea treatment apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention by adjusting the distance that the lower body 20 protrudes forward through the adjustment screw 135 to the mandible anterior according to the oral structure of each wearer There is no need to manufacture the induction member 130 to reduce the manufacturing cost, by compensating for the elastic force of the compression spring 132 can significantly increase the life of the snoring and sleep apnea treatment device compared to the prior art have.

As described above, the technical spirit of the present invention has been described in detail in the preferred embodiments, but the above-described preferred embodiments are for the purpose of description and not of limitation. As such, those skilled in the art may understand that various embodiments are possible through the combination of the embodiments of the present invention within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention.

10: upper body
20: lower body
21: support member
30, 130: mandible anterior guide member
31, 131: fixed part
32, 132: compression spring
33, 133: support
34, 134: moving part
135: Adjustment screw

Claims (4)

An upper body mounted to the maxilla;
A lower body mounted on the lower jaw; And
A lower mandible front guide member installed on the upper body or the lower body to move the lower body forward to protrude a predetermined distance relative to the upper body; Including,
The mandible anterior guide member,
A fixing part fixed to the side or occlusal part of the upper body;
A compression spring received inside the fixing part;
A support coupled to the compression spring and elastically supported by the compression spring; And
A moving part coupled to the support and moving the lower body forward by the support;
Snoring and sleep apnea treatment apparatus comprising a.
The method of claim 1,
The mandible anterior guide member,
It is coupled to one end of the compression spring through a screw hole formed in the fixing portion, and adjusts the distance the lower body protrudes by pressing and releasing one end of the compression spring according to the rotation direction, Snoring and sleep apnea treatment apparatus further comprises an adjustment screw to compensate for the decrease in elastic force.
The method of claim 1,
The lower body is snoring characterized in that it is maintained in a state protruding from the upper body 3mm ~ 5mm forward by the compression spring, the support and the moving portion of the mandible front induction member in the state of mating to the upper body And sleep apnea treatment apparatus.
The method of claim 1,
The compression spring is inserted into the receiving groove formed in the fixing portion is received therein, one end of the support is coupled to the compression spring in the state inserted into the receiving groove of the fixing portion And sleep apnea treatment apparatus.

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