TWI639412B - Multi-point swallowing sensing device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a multi-point swallowing sensing device comprising: a carrier, a plurality of sensors, a conductor, and a throat strip. One side of the carrier is used to abut the throat portion of a body to be tested. The plurality of sensors are arranged along an extending direction and connected to the carrier, so that the plurality of sensors are in different positions of the throat portion, and the sensor is a capacitive pressure gauge. The conductor abuts the other side of the carrier to provide the necessary reaction force for the sensor to measure. The throat belt is used to fix the carrier and the conductor to the throat portion of the object to be tested. Through the above structure, the multi-point swallowing sensing device provided by the present invention, when the object to be tested is swallowed, a plurality of sensors can respectively measure the movement change of the throat portion.

Description

Multi-point swallowing sensing device

The invention relates to a multi-point swallowing sensing device, in particular to a technique for sensing the signal of thyroid cartilage swallowing by using a tiny thin capacitive pressure gauge, thereby improving the detection precision of the swallowing function.

Dysphagia is a symptom that occurs when the food is delivered to the stomach via the esophagus. Many acute and chronic diseases may cause difficulty in swallowing, such as cleft lip and palate, birth, cerebral palsy, stroke, etc.

If dysphagia is not properly treated, it can cause many comorbidities, first affecting the patient's eating, which leads to dehydration, malnutrition, bruises, aspiration pneumonia and even death. At present, the symptoms of dysphagia are evaluated by the medical team in the hospital. The doctor will evaluate the swallowing function of the patient, confirm the severity of the patient's difficulty in swallowing, which swallowing stage has problems, and what kind of food pair. Patients are safer, and appropriate meals and eating strategies are given to the patient. Therefore, it is important to assess and treat the symptoms of dysphagia as soon as possible. In addition to adjusting the food type of patients to reduce the risk of dysphagia, patients can also choose safe eating methods to maintain proper nutrition. Avoid causing other comorbidities. Moreover, patients do not necessarily have obvious symptoms of clinical dysphagia in the early stage of the disease, so it is extremely necessary to assess dysphagia early.

The wearable dysphagia assessment tools commonly used in current research mostly use Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMs) to detect the action response of the subject's mouth or throat during swallowing. The advantage of this type of method is that most of them use non-invasive method measurement, which is less likely to affect the patient's original swallowing function, and can be integrated with other physiological measurements, such as the placement of the electrode patch on the lower jaw muscle measurement EMG. Test the swallowing action. Microsensors commonly used to detect dysphagia include accelerometers and piezoeletric sensors. Acceleration measurement principle is to measure the acceleration of the throat when the throat is lifted up and down. The principle of the pressure sensor is to squeeze the throat when the two actions are taken. The dielectric within the sensor deforms to produce a voltage change across the surface. However, when the acceleration gauge is measured, it will cause very serious noise interference due to the shaking of the head of the subject, which makes the signal analysis difficult. It is also possible that the acceleration of the throat portion caused by the swallowing action is too small, so that the signal change is not obvious. The pressure sensor is because the sensor is a hard device, it is very uncomfortable to wear in the throat and affects the swallowing ability of the subject.

A film type pressure sensor is used as a sensor for detecting swallowing ability, for example, Taiwan Patent No. I536966 "Swallowing function detecting throat device", which utilizes a membrane type pressure sensor (Force Sensing Resistor) With the soft conductive body of silicone, it can accurately measure the data of thyroid cartilage contraction when swallowing. However, although the above-mentioned device can sense the data of the throat contraction when the human body swallows, it cannot measure the change of the movement of the thyroid cartilage at different positions, so there is still room for improvement.

The main purpose of this creation is to improve the problems of noise interference caused by the conventional wearable swallowing function detecting device and the inability to measure the change of the position of the thyroid cartilage at different positions, and actively carry out development in order to improve the above. With the shortcomings, the invention has finally been developed through continuous experimentation and efforts.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is achieved by the following technical means, wherein the multi-point swallowing sensing device of the present invention comprises: a carrier, a plurality of sensors, a conductor and a throat belt. One side of the carrier is used to abut a throat portion of the object to be tested, and the carrier has an extending direction. The plurality of sensors are arranged along the extending direction and connected to the carrier, so that the plurality of sensors are in different positions on the throat portion. The sensor is a capacitive pressure gauge (Piezo- Capacitive sensor). The conductor abuts the other side of the carrier to provide the necessary reaction force for the sensor to measure. The throat belt is used to fix the carrier and the conductor to the throat portion of the object to be tested. Wherein, when the object to be tested is swallowed, the plurality of sensors respectively measure the movement change of the throat portion.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the number of the plurality of sensors is four.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the carrier is constructed of a soft material to provide flexibility.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the conductor is a flexible bladder.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the conductor comprises a silicone.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the conductor comprises a rubber.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of sensors are in telecommunication connection with a computing device, and the measured changes in the different positions of the throat portion are transmitted to the computing device for analysis.

In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the computing device further includes an automatic signal analysis program, and the automatic signal analysis program can automatically detect whether the signal response of the sample to be swallowed is safe swallowing behavior.

1‧‧‧Study

2‧‧‧ Carrier

3‧‧‧Sensor

3a, 3b, 3c, 3d‧‧‧ sensors

4‧‧‧ Conductor

5‧‧‧ throat belt

6‧‧‧ Computing device

A‧‧‧First area

B‧‧‧Second area

C‧‧‧ third area

D‧‧‧Fourth area

9‧‧‧ Extension direction

1 is a schematic view of a capacitive pressure gauge of a preferred embodiment of a multi-point swallowing sensing device of the present invention.

2 is a schematic view showing the implementation of a preferred embodiment of the multi-point swallowing sensing device of the present invention.

3 is a schematic diagram showing the measurement results of a preferred embodiment of the multi-point swallowing sensing device of the present invention.

In order to achieve the above objectives and effects, the technical means and structure adopted by this creation are described in detail in the preferred embodiment of the present creation. The features and functions are as follows, and the full understanding is made, but it should be noted that the contents are not It constitutes a limitation of the present invention.

Please refer to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 simultaneously, which is a perspective view and a perspective partial cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the multi-point swallowing sensing device. The multi-point swallowing sensing device of the present invention comprises: a carrier 2, a plurality of sensors 3, a conductor 4 and a throat belt 5.

The carrier 2 may be made of any soft material to make it flexible. Preferably, the carrier 2 is a flexible soft plastic sheet or bag made of plastic material so as not to affect the sensor. The sensing function is dominant. The carrier 2 is disposed adjacent to a throat portion of the body 1 to be tested. In the embodiment, the body 1 is a human body, and the carrier 2 has an extending direction 9. Preferably, the extending direction 9 Parallel to the direction of the human throat.

The plurality of sensors 3 are arranged along the extension direction 9 and are connected to the carrier 2 such that a plurality of the sensors 3 are placed at different positions of the throat portion. The sensor 3 is a miniature (Miniature Pressure sensors, MPS) capacitive pressure gauge (Piezo-capacitive sensor). Capacitive pressure gauges are constructed of thin-film strain gauges and Wheatstone bridges that can be used to accurately measure the resistance of an unknown resistor. Capacitive manometers are characterized by very small and light individuals (individual diameters of about 6 mm; thickness of about 0.6 mm), and gas/fluid pressures are measurable, and pressures range from 50 kPa to 7 MPa. Since the area of the capacitive pressure gauge is relatively small, if the measurement range is large, more sensors are needed to accurately detect the pressure distribution at each point. Therefore, the present invention uses a plurality of sensors. The action changes of different positions of the throat portion during the process of swallowing food from top to bottom are detected separately, and the measured values are transmitted to a computing device 6 for analysis. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, the number of the sensors 3 is four, but is not limited thereto, and the number of the sensors 3 may also be two, three or more.

The conductor 4 is a soft material adjacent to the other side of the carrier 2, which may be a flexible airbag, but is not limited thereto, and may be a soft material containing a silicone or a rubber. The conductor 4 is used to provide the reaction force necessary for the measurement of the sensor 3, and the pressure change value generated when the laryngeal cartilage is activated is effectively transmitted to the sensor 3. Preferably, the conductor 4 can be placed or filled on the throat strip 5.

The throat belt 5 is a belt which can be made of a soft material, is comfortable to wear and does not affect the sensing function of the sensor 3. The throat belt 5 is used to fix the carrier 2 and the conductor 4 to the throat portion of the object 1 to be tested. One end of the throat belt 5 has a connecting unit (not shown) connected to the other end thereof to form a ring structure. The present invention does not limit the structure and material of the connecting unit, and may be a devil felt and a buckle. Piece or an elastic band, but not limited to this.

With the above structure and composition design, the following is the use and operation of this creation:

Please also refer to FIG. 3, which is a schematic diagram of the measurement results of the preferred embodiment of the multi-point swallowing sensing device. The throat belt 5 can abut and fix the sensors (hereinafter referred to as the sensors 3a to 3d) to the throat portion of the object 1 to be tested by means of its connecting unit. At this time, the sensor 3 is in contact with the throat to measure a stable initial pressure, as shown in the first area A.

When the sample 1 is swallowed, the throat portion contracts and the thyroid cartilage is lifted up, and the action pressure is transmitted to the sensors through the reaction force of the conductor 4 to generate a signal change. Wherein, the sensor 3a and the sensor 3d are respectively located above and below the thyroid cartilage area, so that the sensed pressure change is small. The sensor 3b and the sensor 3c are located in the thyroid cartilage area, so when the food passes behind the thyroid cartilage, the sensor 3b and the sensor 3c have the greatest reaction at two points, because the thyroid cartilage is in the process of swallowing. Sufficient force must be applied to simultaneously open the posterior sphincter and push the food down to the esophagus. The second region B is for the thyroid cartilage to start to open the posterior sphincter to push the food, and the third region C for the thyroid cartilage to return to the original state. After the fourth region D is completed, the sensor restores the original initial pressure value.

In this way, a data model of a person with normal swallowing function can be established through multiple measurements, and the result of the equivalent measurement finds that the signal reaction time is too long, the reaction order of each point is different, or the reaction force is insufficient, and the difference from the data template is too large. It can be judged that the test subject may have symptoms of difficulty in swallowing.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the computing device 6 further includes an automatic signal analysis program, and the automatic signal analysis program can automatically detect whether the signal response of the sample to be swallowed is safe swallowing behavior.

It is worth mentioning that the computing device 6 can be a server, which can be used for real-time calculation, analysis and display of the physiological signals of the swallowing process for the received values. An emergency reminder mechanism, a physiological feedback training application, and a personal swallowing information database. Providing doctors' judgment and family care channels to achieve immediate detection and reminder of abnormal conditions and home care detection, eliminating the inconvenience of frequent trips to and from the hospital.

Therefore, please refer to all the figures. When using this creation, compared with the conventional technology, the following advantages exist:

(1) The multi-point swallowing sensing device of the present invention can improve the distortion of the signal caused by noise interference such as the head or body shaking of the body to be tested, and the signal change is not obvious when the accelerator is used as the sensor. Disadvantages.

(2) The multi-point swallowing sensing device of the present invention can improve the shortcomings of the conventional film type pressure sensor which cannot measure the movement change of different positions of the thyroid cartilage, and the measurement value is more accurate.

Through the above detailed description, it can fully demonstrate that the purpose and efficacy of this creation are both progressive and highly industrial, and it is a new creation that has never been seen before on the market, and fully meets the requirements of the invention patent. , 提出 apply in accordance with the law. The above is only the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments and the scope of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should be able to Combinations of equivalent substitutions and obvious variations are intended to be included within the scope of the invention.

Claims (8)

A multi-point swallowing sensing device comprising: a carrier having a side for abutting a throat portion of a body to be tested, the carrier having an extending direction; a plurality of sensors arranged along the extending direction, and Connected to the carrier, the plurality of the sensors are placed at different positions of the throat portion, and the sensor is a miniature (Miniature Pressure sensors, MPS) capacitive pressure gauge (Piezo-capacitive sensor); a conductor adjacent to the other side of the carrier for providing a reaction force necessary for the measurement of the sensor; a throat belt for fixing the carrier and the conductor to a throat portion of the object to be tested; Wherein, when the object to be tested is swallowed, the plurality of sensors respectively measure the movement change of the throat portion. The multi-point swallowing sensing device of claim 1, wherein the number of the plurality of sensors is four. The multi-point swallowing sensing device according to claim 1, wherein the carrier is made of a soft material to make it flexible. The multi-point swallowing sensing device of claim 1, wherein the conductor is a flexible airbag. The multi-point swallowing sensing device of claim 1, wherein the conductor comprises a silicone. The multi-point swallowing sensing device of claim 1, wherein the conductor comprises a rubber. The multi-point swallowing sensing device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors are electrically connected to a computing device, and the measured changes in the different positions of the throat portion are transmitted to the calculation. The device is analyzed. The multi-point swallowing sensing device of claim 7, wherein the computing device further comprises an automatic signal analysis program, wherein the automatic signal analysis program automatically detects whether the signal response of the sample to be swallowed belongs to Safe swallowing behavior.