Non-invasive and unrestrained monitoring of human respiratory system by sensorized environment

Abstract

This paper describes a living-space-shaped system for non-invasively and unrestrainedly monitoring the human respiratory system and intelligibly reporting its results. This environmental system consists of sensorized furniture: (1) a ceiling dome microphone, (2) a pressure sensor bed, and (3) a washstand display. The ceiling dome microphone consists of a ceiling dome, a lighting fixture, and an omnidirectional microphone. The ceiling dome microphone can detect not only snoring sounds but also normal breathing sounds, i.e., airflow at the mouth and nose. The pressure sensor bed has 210 tactile sensors and can monitor body movement, breath curve and posture. By analyzing the breath curve, the system. can estimate oxygen desaturation frequency. By integrating the above functions, for example, the system can find obstructive apnea, which is a typical apnea such that the patient cannot inhale the air despite of breath effort and that the concentration of the oxygen in blood falls. The washstand display can provide information related to the conditions of the respiratory system in the person's daily life. To prove the effectiveness of the integrated system, experiments are conducted for a patient suffering from breath disorder.