Patent ID: 9744097
Date: 2017-08-29
CPC Classifications: A61H

Claim:
1. A wearable thorax percussion device, the device comprising: (a) a garment configured to fit over the thorax and having an external surface facing away from the thorax; (b) at least one substantially rigid element attached to the external surface of the garment and arranged to project away from the external surface of the garment; (c) at least two electromechanical actuators each being retained by the at least one substantially rigid element and each having a housing and a mechanical member exhibiting a reciprocating motion via translation of the entirety of the mechanical member relative to the respective housing when the at least two electromechanical actuators are energized with electricity for percussing the thorax by mechanically striking the thorax, either directly or indirectly, each of the mechanical members acting against a spring bias of a plurality of springs during at least part of the reciprocating motion, wherein the housings and the mechanical members each have cylindrically-shaped outer surfaces, wherein the at least two electromechanical actuators each include a coil of wire situated within a cavity of the respective housing and shaped to form a cylinder that surrounds a portion of the cylindrically-shaped outer surface of the respective mechanical member; and (d) an electronic controller for generating and modulating an electrical signal to energize the at least two electromechanical actuators, wherein the at least one substantially rigid element is configured as a shaped shell that is visible on the exterior of the garment and that includes at least two cavities defined by arcuate walls for receipt of the cylindrically-shaped outer surfaces of the respective housings therein, and wherein the at least one substantially rigid element includes a connecting portion formed integrally with the arcuate walls to hold the cavities apart in spaced relation with one another by a distance greater than outer diameters of the housings of the at least two electromechanical actuators.